Two Spanish tourists who have been detained on charges of making homosexual advances at two taxi drivers in Gambia

Two Spanish tourists who have been detained on charges of making homosexual advances at two taxi drivers in Gambia face up to 14 years in prison for violating the principles of Islam, the gay organisation FAGC said Tuesday in Barcelona.The Spaniards were being held at a police station in the coastal resort of Kotu. They were arrested Friday after the taxi drivers reported them to police.Gambian President Yahya Gammeh has threatened to "cut off the head" of any homosexual caught in the touristic West African country.The Spaniards were receiving visits from the Spanish consul to Gambia, who gave them his "full support," sources of the foreign ministry said in Madrid.

Spanish police have arrested 16 people suspected of being part of a gang that stole hundreds of tons copper for sale in Spain

Spanish police have arrested 16 people, most of them Romanians, suspected of being part of a gang that stole hundreds of tons copper for sale in Spain and abroad, the interior ministry has said.It said the theft of copper rolls from a solar park in the southern region of Albacete led police to a warehouse where the gang had hidden around 1.6 tonnes of copper as well as machines for making fake identity cards.
The ministry said in March that police had detained 77 Romanians suspected of being part of a gang that stole copper to ship to China and Germany.Surging demand on the global market for copper, used in phone lines, power cables, radiators and air conditioners, is driving thefts of the material around the world.

Spanish resident convicted of drug smuggling

Two Nigerians have been convicted and sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Regional Tribunal presided over by Justice Frank Manu for possessing narcotic drugs.Mondistus Nidimakor had 11years jail term for each count of attempting to export and possessing 73 pellets of cocaine while Gabriel Alaoma received 10 years for each count of importing and possessing 4475.388g of heroine, a narcotic drug.
However, the sentences are to run concurrently. The convicts had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later changed their pleas to guilty.
The court ordered that properties including money taken from Nidimakor should be handed over to him and the exhibits should be destroyed.
Concerning Alaoma, the court observed that he had been on remand for the past four years therefore his sentence should take effect from the day he was arrested.
Also, the properties seized from the accused should be given back to him and the exhibits destroyed.
Prosecuting, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, a State Attorney, said Nidimakor, a resident of Spain, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on January 16, 2006 to board a KLM flight to Amsterdam, Holland and that while going through departure formalities, he was arrested on suspicion of carrying narcotic drugs.
She revealed that the accused was taken to the 37 Military Hospital for X-ray examination and it revealed that he had foreign materials in his system.
As a result of that, he was put under observation till he expelled 73 pellets of a material suspected to be narcotic drug. The substance was confirmed to be cocaine with 959.462grams as net weight.Alaoma on the other hand arrived at the KIA on March 12, 2004 from Karachi, Pakistan enroute to Cote d’Ivoire.However, his movement at the transit lounge aroused the suspicion of the officers of the NACOB and so was picked for a search.She disclosed that when accused’s briefcase was thoroughly searched, the officers found four large parcels of powdery substance concealed in a false compartment and suspecting it to be a narcotic substance, the officials sent it to the Ghana Standards Board (GBS) for examination.The parcels were duly examined by the Forensic Department of GBS and their report indicated that the exhibit was heroin, a narcotic drug substance with an estimated weight of 4475-388gram.

suspects were rounded up by cops backed by riot police in Malaga, on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Fifty-five Nigerians were arrested in armed swoops by Spanish fraudbusters on more than 60 homes and businesses. The suspects were rounded up by cops backed by riot police in Malaga, on Spain’s Costa del Sol. The gang are believed to have ripped off 1,500 victims worldwide – many of them British – for £21.6million.Individual losses average £14,000, but range from £640 to a massive £720,000. The crackdown followed the jailing of a Nigerian last Friday in Surrey after a disabled British pensioner was swindled out of his £100,000 life savings in a lottery scam. Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency is also currently engaged in a long-running investigation in Spain and Nigeria into lottery rackets which target Britons. Victims get letters saying they have won vast prizes in Spain’s legendary state lottery. The villains follow up with demands for cash to cover “local taxes” and “administrative charges”. Inspector Antonio Pintano, head of the National Police Fraud Squad’s lottery unit, said: “Many of those who are swindled are elderly.” Nigerian Victor Ifejika, 42, was jailed for a year last week for conning Gareth Jones, 70. Mr Jones was so convinced he had won a £1.3million jackpot that he took out bank loans to make some of the payments, Guildford Crown Court heard. Ifejika flew to Britain to complete the fraud. Mr Jones, who was paralysed in one arm after two strokes, was finally handed a silver case – full of cotton wool and paper.
A police source warned last night: “If you receive a letter or email claiming that you have won millions in a foreign lottery and it sounds too good to be true – then it is.”

British family’s £4.4 million Spanish home has been wrecked by 400 teenagers

British family’s £4.4 million Spanish home has been wrecked by 400 teenagers after their 16-year-old daughter used social networking sites to invite people from across the Costa del Sol to drink a “lot of alcohol”. After invites were posted on the Bebo and Facebook sites, rumours were spread that the Jodie Hudson’s parents did not mind the seven-bedroom house being trashed because they were getting divorced. By the end of the night, according to a friend of the privately-educated teenager, the house “looked like a war zone” with £6,000 worth of jewellery and clothes looted by some of the guests, and televisions thrown in the swimming pool. Miss Hudson organised the party through invites logged on both her Bebo and Facebook profiles. Describing it as the “party of the year” she wrote on the sites: “Theres gone be a lot of alcohol an amazing DJ.” As the party escalated, Jodie’s mother, Amanda Hudson, an estate agent who is estranged from her husband and has lived in Marbella for 10 years, called the police. Officers arrived at the house shortly after midnight. One partygoer said: “People scarpered in all directions, but the police managed to pull people over and search their bags and pockets, but it was already too late and a lot was gone. “Somebody said that we were allowed to wreck the house because the birthday girl’s parents were getting divorced and there were kids behaving like gangsters from a rap video, throwing stuff around and smashing things. There were chairs, tables, even a TV in the pool.” Following the party, Miss Hudson wrote: “There’s so much damage and clothes stolen. A lot of broken doors. people caight (SIC) having sex.” The house in the exclusive El Paraiso development has been on the market for 5.6m euros. Howeve the villa, which rents out for £4,000 per week in the summer season, was completely trashed and will now be unable to rent in the coming months.

400 Ravers turn Costa del Sol home in Marbella’s exclusive El Pariaso development into a wreck.

trashed a £5million house after a girl advertised her 16th birthday party on the internet.Drunken revellers hurled a television and tables and chairs into the swimming pool, smashed doors, destroyed carpets, damaged walls and stole £6,000 of jewellery and designer clothes.Someone had spread a rumour that the owners did not mind if the seven-bedroom mansion was damaged because they were "getting divorced".British expat Amanda Hudson agreed to let schoolgirl Jodie hold the party at their holiday villa in Marbella, Spain.But Jodie posted details including the address on social networking internet sites Facebook and Bebo.She called it "party of the year" and said: "Theres gone be a lot of alcohol an amazing DJ."Hundreds of youngsters from all over the Costa del Sol turned up on motorbikes and quad bikes.Even though Amanda was present she was powerless to stop the hooligans from ransacking her home.
Eventually she called police with the party still in full swing.Two police cars arrived just after midnight.One partygoer said: "People scarpered in all directions.
"The police managed to pull people over and search their bags and pockets but it was already too late and a lot was gone."There were kids behaving like gangstas from a rap video, throwing stuff around and smashing things."There were chairs, tables, even a television in the pool."Somebody said that we were allowed to wreck the house because the birthday girl's parents were getting divorced."
The villa, which Amanda rents out for £4,000 a week in the summer, was completely wrecked and will not be suitable to let again until it is repaired.Amanda told a friend: "The place looked like a war zone."All the banisters have been broken, the walls are ruined, the carpets are destroyed, furniture is broken and it is going to take months to sort out."A friend said: "Amanda is still furious with her daughter. She hasn't spoken to her since that night."Jodie, who goes to an expensive private school in Sotogrande, sent a message to a friend from her Bebo site last week saying: "There's so much damage and clothes stolen and a lot of broken doors. People were caught having sex."I got punched by my mum for it and grounded until the summer. What a BITCH!"Estate agent Amanda, originally from Liverpool, refused to discuss the party yesterday.She said: "I am not saying anything about that."


400 revellers to turn her Costa del Sol home – in Marbella’s exclusive Paradise development – into a wreck

There were kids behaving like rap video gangsters.
.Unknown to Mrs Hudson, Jodie, who attends one of southern Spain’s most upmarket private schools, had announced the party on social networking sites Bebo and Facebook.Officers frisked everyone they could catch fleeing the house.
One partygoer said: “It was already too late and a lot was gone.“There were kids behaving like gangsters from a rap video, throwing stuff around and smashing things.”
The villa, which costs £4,000 a week to rent or is offered for sale at £4.4million, was completely trashed and will be unavailable for rent this summer.Mrs Hudson has told a friend: “All the banisters have been broken.“The walls are ruined, the carpets are destroyed, furniture is broken and it is going to take months to sort out.”The friend said Mrs Hudson was “still furious” with her daughter.Jodie, who attends the Sotogrande International School near Marbella, gives an update on her web pages.On one she signs herself “Hudson-is-a-rebel” and writes: “There’s so much damage. People caught having sex. I got grounded until the summer. What a bitch!”
When contacted at the villa yesterday, Mrs Hudson, who is originally from Liverpool, refused to discuss the party. “I am not saying anything about that,” she said.
Describing it as the “party of the year”, she posted her home address on the sites and invited dozens of friends, saying: “There’s going to be a lot of alcohol and an amazing DJ.”To add to the chaos, an unfounded rumour was circulating among the uninvited “guests” that the owners did not mind the seven-bedroom mansion being trashed – because they were “getting divorced”.Despite the presence of Jodie’s horrified mother, hundreds of Costa del Sol teens arrived at the house on motorbikes and quad bikes.The rampaging youngsters left a trail of misery for Mrs Hudson – and a sizeable bill for the damage.Dozens of items – including a TV set – were thrown into the swimming pool and half Mrs Hudson’s wardrobe was stolen. Jewellery worth more £6,000 was also taken.The distraught mother eventually called police and two patrol cars arrived just after midnight when the party, earlier this month, was still in full swing.

offences were committed at Melling’s villa in Torrevieja,

4 men have pleaded guilty and been sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court for a total of 17 sexual offences on three teenaged boys from Tyneside.The court heard how Derek Marshall, 52, and his son, Graeme Marshall, 24, befriended the boys, aged between 13 and 16 years. The victims were then introduced to a 58-year-old man called Melling, from Middlesbrough, who had been living in Spain, and Paul Anthony Bures, 53, from Kent, both of whom were jailed indefinitely. The offences were committed at Melling’s villa in Torrevieja, and also at locations in the UK: Kent, London and Northumbria.Judge John Evans described the case as: “An altogether horrendous story. The psychological damage wrought upon the victims is perfectly evidential.”
The court heard how the Marshalls befriended the boys and introduced them to Melling who gained their trust by buying them gifts and taking them to football matches. The Marshalls convinced the boys’ parents they would look after them while on holiday at Melling’s Torrevieja villa. Police began investigating Melling when one of the victims’ fathers contacted them, but Melling, suspecting the authorities were on his trail, fled to Spain. He was eventually deported from Bulgaria, whilst trying to cross into Turkey, in July 2007.

20 pure breed horses were left to die from hunger in stables in Ulea

20 pure breed horses were left to die from hunger in stables in Ulea, Murcia, and their current condition is reported to be critical in some cases.
The animals belonged to some Colombian drug traffickers who were arrested and simply left the animals abandoned afterwards. The whole matter has now been denounced by ecologist and animal rights organisations who have now informed the Government delegation in Murcia.The story was broken by the VegaMedia Press which also reports that in the same finca there are also a pair of abandoned exotic pigs, three peacocks, three dogs and dozens of birds, all of them in a critical condition.

In Spain it is legal to grow cannabis for personal use in his own property, even for recreational use.

A judge of the town of Ferrol declared a patient, who grows and uses cannabis to treat pain and spasticity due to spinal cord injury, not guilty, because he "did not commit a crime" against public health. In Spain it is legal to grow cannabis for personal use in his own property, even for recreational use. However, 32- year old Juan Manuel Rodríguez did not cultivate cannabis at his home, but in a nursing home of the national health service and he was denounced by the director of the centre. Meanwhile the Spanish government acknowledged the medical benefits of cannabis in some illnesses. The current national plan on drugs issued by the Health Ministry says that "the therapeutic potential of cannabis has been widely reviewed" and that "there is scientific evidence for therapeutic use in nausea and vomiting due to antineoplastic treatments, lost of appetite in AIDS and terminal cancer, and the treatment of neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis."

Portugal's Judicial Police arrested four people for allegedly trying to smuggle the Coke into Spain

Portugal's Judicial Police said Thursday it had seized 121.8 kg of cocaine and arrested four people for allegedly trying to smuggle the drug into Spain.
The detainees, three men and one woman, "aimed to acquire and secure the transport of cocaine from Portugal to Spain with the intention of distributing it there," the police said.
"Some of those arrested had already been linked to narcotics trafficking by either Portuguese or foreign authorities," the police added. Four passenger vehicles were also seized, three of them with Spanish license plates, the police added.

Spanish lawyer G.J.S., admitted that Malaga public auctions are controlled by ‘mafia-type’ criminal rings

Spanish lawyer admitted that public auctions conducted throughout
the Province of Malaga, Spain are controlled by ‘mafia-type’ criminal rings.
The grip on the so-called ‘public’ auction of properties is such that no outsiders, whether in business or as individuals can get near the gavel’s fall. This allegation comes after many attacks on the various Spanish systems. Almost unilaterally, they fail to live up to the expectations of their northern European visitors and residents from whom so much wealth has been derived.The general face of friendliness in Spain, while genuinely displayed by the majority, belies the underlying belly of corruption and belligerence on the part of the judiciary to clear the worst elements from society.Sadly, for the majority, many of whom still live in the shadow of Franco’s regime and the ongoing corruption, the reality is that they turn the other cheek. The burden of combining the ordeals of modern-day life while dealing daily with antiquated bureaucratic systems leaves many with a permanent resignation to life’s troubles, typified by the ‘Spanish Shrug’Over development and underinvestment in basic infrastructure make unhappy bedfellows. Following the boom years, Spain’s property market, despite recent claims to the contrary is visibly collapsing. Consequently more and more properties are coming under the hammer.Many absentee owners may be unaware that auction proceedings can take place without their prior knowledge due in part to the belligerence and outdated practices of officials allied to inadequate communication especially in the rural areas.Those wishing to salvage something from this creeping financial disaster are advised to ensure their property is not sent to auction where the sharks are having a feast and the lawyers dare not tread.

David Hibbs-Turner mastermind behind one of Merseyside’s biggest ever drug rings had a home in Marbella

mastermind behind one of Merseyside’s biggest ever drug rings was arrested by police as he played five-a-side football with his trusted gang.While having a knockabout at Walton Hall sports centre, Fazakerley gangster David Hibbs-Turner kept six mobile phones hidden in his sports kit, ready to act at any time as the wheels turned on his multi-million pound international cocaine and heroin operation. he was convicted of ordering the assassination of fellow Liverpool gangster Michael ‘Mikey’ Wright.This week, Hibbs-Turner was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum of 37 years for the murder, the drugs and running an extortion racket.Now he and his 13-strong “armed and very dangerous” gang are serving more than 150 years behind bars.The operation was simple and the gains massive. Police admit the drugs they seized, worth £4m, are only the tip of the iceberg.Hibbs-Turner, 30, and his gang bought a fleet of white Vauxhall Combi vans and fitted them with secret compartments,The inconspicuous vehicles then brought drugs into the country from Amsterdam and Spain after deals with South American cartels.Hidden in some of Liverpool’s plushest addresses – Beetham Tower, Beetham Plaza, City Lofts, Royal Quay – workers in drug factories would crush up the packages, mix and dilute them and create hundreds of kilos of coke, heroin and ecstasy for the streets of Merseyside and the north west.
The gang are also thought to have controlled patches as far afield as eastern Scotland and Dublin.The extent of the operation was highlighted when officers seized nearly £163,000 found in plastic shopping bags in a cupboard under the stairs at one of Hibbs-Turner’s Liverpool homes.But the drug baron, who also had a home in Marbella, simply walked away from the cash – never bothering to turn up at a hearing at Liverpool magistrates court, where he could have tried to reclaim it. This, police say, is a mere glimpse of the money he was making.At another address, on Cornwallis Street in Liverpool city centre, detectives found 50kg of drugs – worth more than £2m – together with a silenced Steyr machine gun.That was forensically linked to at least six shootings in Merseyside and was just one of an arsenal of weapons uncovered throughout the 20-month investigation.
With his trusted lieutenants, brothers Stephen and James Kelly, by his side, Hibbs-Turner was able to disappear for months when the heat got too much.But from September 2004 to his arrest on February 16, 2007, he and his gang were being watched.
A small team of the best surveillance officers in Merseyside police were put together after they scratched the surface and were shocked at what they found.
Police admit they had no idea of the scale of the operation, and without calls from the community concerned about dealing, the gang may not have appeared on their radar until much later.DCI Brian Gaddas, of Merseyside police’s Matrix team, said: “This was a highly organised and dangerous criminal group who had little respect for authorities or even other criminal groups in Merseyside, and ruled through fear and intimidation.“These convictions are the result of an extensive and complex investigation which has now totally dismantled this group. I have to praise the small group of detectives who were able to collect evidence of such gravity that almost all of the defendants saw they had no choice but to plead guilty.
“They worked long and hard in the most hostile environment building a case while putting their own lives in danger on a day-to-day basis. The fact none of the targets had any knowledge whatsoever of their existence is testament to their professionalism.”Twelve members of the gang admitted conspiracy to supply drugs of class A and B, with three also pleading guilty to firearm charges.
Two members, Michael Kinsella and a man who cannot be named for legal reasons, were convicted after a 17-day trial.
Ringleader David Hibbs-Turner, 30, of Fazakerley, was the mastermind of the operation, spending substantial periods of time in Amsterdam organising deals, fake passports and properties.Joint second-in-command brothers Stephen Kelly, 30, of Princes Dock, and James Kelly, 24, of Stalmine Road, Walton, were both jailed for 14 years. They ran much of the day-to-day operation and were seen turning up at an array of luxury pads in top-end cars to organise the cutting, packaging and distribution of the drugs.Lee Cole, 27, of Rice Lane, Walton, received 15 years after also admitting firearms offences. He was involved in the operation both in Liverpool and Amsterdam. He was previously jailed for two years for supplying heroin, as well as a six-month sentence for importing cannabis.Wesley Barton, 23, of Oakhouse Park, Walton, was directly connected with a drugs factory at Royal Quay. He received 15 years.Michael Kinsella, 30, of Holy Cross Close, Liverpool city centre, worked in both Merseyside and Holland. He was involved in sending money and delivering large quantities of cocaine. He was jailed for 10 years and has previously served seven years for possessing heroin and coke with intent to supply.
David Surridge, 21, of Ruskin Street, Kirkdale, was jailed for 15 years. He bought hydraulic presses and delivered drugs.Stephen Phillips, 19, of Glenista Close, Walton, was connected with several of the raided drugs factories. He received 10 years.
Anthony Wignall, 31, of Granton Road, Everton, was jailed for 11 years and three months after being caught making regular journeys to Amsterdam and sending money to Holland.
Michael Riley, 27, of Bianca Street, Bootle, travelled to Holland at least six times in 2006, carrying money out to Hibbs- Turner. He was jailed for 10 year.
Adam Joynson, 19, Willowdale Road, Walton, was jailed for eight years. He sent out substantial amounts to Holland.
Nicholas Miller, 20, of Betula Close, Walton, was involved with the Rice Lane drugs factory and was locked up for nine and a half years.
Jamie Quirk, 26, of Bulford Road, Walton, was jailed for 10 years. He sent money to Amsterdam.

David Geering computers were traced to an internet cafe in London’s Victoria district, an address in Hertfordshire and a property in Spain.

David Geering, 48, had been a detective with the Metropolitan Police’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command. But all the time he was a child sex pervert trading hundreds of vile images with other sickos. A number of photos featured the most extreme kind of child abuse.Geering was found to have taken indecent photos of two kids himself. He used the false name Nigel Robotham to cover his tracks but was nabbed when he made internet contact with someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl. It was actually a fake identity assumed by officers from the Met Police Paedophile Unit.
Three of his computers were traced to an internet cafe in London’s Victoria district, an address in Hertfordshire and a property in Spain.
Checks with other forces revealed Geering’s evil trade in images of kids. Geering was jailed at London’s Southwark Crown Court on 20 counts of distributing indecent images of children and two counts of taking indecent images of children.
The cop of 27 years was convicted last month. Det Supt Sue Knight of the Met’s Child Abuse Investigation Command said: “It is a reminder to paedophiles that wherever they go and whatever their occupation, the Met will track them down.”

Richard Davison is currently on bail in Spain where he is facing drug smuggling charges.

‘Uncatchable’ boats…that’s been the claim made against British manufacturer Crompton Marine with its two principals, Richard Davison, 39, and Ellen George, 41, now facing court in Ipswich, UK. The court was told that Crompton Marine had built an enviable reputation for its production of high-speed inflatables. However, according to the UK’s Daily Mail, the respectable front of Crompton Marine is alleged to have hidden an undercover ‘trade’ producing high-speed craft for international drug smugglers. It is alleged Davison and George were well paid for their efforts. Sums of money mentioned before the court include ‘secret cash deals’ on AUD$720,000 boats, the pair lived in a AUD$722,000 home in the seaside village of Lowestoft, Suffolk, and customs officers who raided the house are reported to have discovered AUD$2,472,000 in cash hidden in various places. Additionally, a further 1,000,000 Euros (about AUD$1,351,620) was allegedly unearthed along with AUD$80,350 in a property used by the couple in Malaga, Spain.
The boats built by Crompton Marine were giant inflatable RIBs with up to eight 250hp engines (usually Yamaha) installed at the transom. They were capable of better than 112km/hr. The court heard that the boats were ‘virtually invisible’ to radar being of low profile and painted grey or black. It has been alleged the couple were in the process of producing a 33.0-metre (108’) version destined for criminals running contraband between northern Africa and Spain. According to the Daily Mail, prosecutor Simon Draycott, QC, revealed a photograph of a boat to the court that could carry up to 15,000 litres of fuel and used 900-litres per hour at top speed.
He told the court the boat was so powerful it could carry 'a lot of drugs, a lot of contraband and still outrun any maritime craft.'
George is awaiting sentencing after admitting to possession of criminal property and money laundering, while Davison is currently on bail in Spain where he is facing drug smuggling charges. The couple was arrested after British customs officers put Crompton Marine under surveillance following a ‘tip off’ from Spanish authorities.
As the Daily Mail points out, 'the trial is continuing.'

Courts in Málaga are taking as long as four years to hear cases

Courts in Málaga are taking as long as four years to hear the most simple of cases, according to a report in the Diario Sur newspaper today. The number is noted by the General Council for Judicial Power, the body which oversees the judiciary in Spain, which notes that things are particularly bad in Estepona, Marbella and Fuengirola.
The other side of the coin is in Antequera where cases are generally completed in some eight to ten months.The Deacon of the Málaga Lawyers College, Manuel Camas, noted that the situation was worse than a year ago along the Costa del Sol, and that in his opinion, prove that resources in the province are seriously lacking.