The Dark Side Of Spain

The legal system in Spain has considerable differences from the British system, it is therefore imperative that independent legal advice is sought.
It is fair to say that the system is slow and inefficient and frequently in the headlines with stories of abuse and scandal. Judges and lawyers are often accused of taking advantage of their positions and using the system to suit there own personal desires. It is also fair to say that litigation in Spain can be expensive, frustrating and therefore if possible best avoided. Its been reported that as many as 160 legal actions are brought each week to the Spanish Courts that specifically involve property purchase issues, most of which it has to be said will take years to resolve. Throughout Spain the courts have backlogs of many thousands of pending cases many of which will take several years before they are heard. The system is literally jammed to capacity.
A couple of years ago in an attempt to reduce the massive backlog Spain introduced a new system which involved appointing judges from within their own profession. Junior lawyers we invited to become judges but the mediocre salaries which went with the job inevitably meant that those lawyers with successful practices continued in their law firms whilst the less successful, and arguably less competent became judges.
Finding a good lawyer is not easy and needless to say it’s better to find one who speaks reasonable English otherwise you will also need to employ a translator, which is not a very satisfactory arrangement.

Amy Fitzpatrick Spanish Police widen search to Ireland

The Spanish police have requested the assistance of the Irish police in the search for missing teenager Amy Fitzpatrick.
The 15 year old has not been seen since she vanished from the resort town of Fuengirola in the south of Spain on New Year's day.
According to the Irish police, contact has been made through the force's liaison's personnel in Interpol's Madrid offices.
It is understood the Spanish police wish to know if any sightings are made of the Amy in Ireland.

El Socio right-hand man of Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante

Orlando Sabogal, arrested and detained in Madrid . Known as El Socio, Sabogal is considered the right-hand man of Luis Hernando Gómez Bustamante – the chief of the Norte del Valle cartel, which moves 40 per cent of the cocaine consumed globally.
El Socio was in charge of collecting the money, which had been laundered through various Real Estate companies.
However, police are unsure through which companies the cartel channelled their illicit gains.
“Tracing money that has already passed through various companies and even tax havens back to drugs is an impossible task,” a police spokesman said.
Recent reports suggest Spain is in the middle of a cocaine epidemic, with the country having the greatest percentage of users in the world.
According to a United Nations study, 3 per cent of Spaniards between 15 and 64 years of age admitted to having taken cocaine within the past year.
Last year, 50,000 kilograms of cocaine – with an estimated street value of two billion US dollars – was confiscated by Spanish authorities.

This figure, however, only represents 7 per cent of the total amount of cocaine in circulation throughout Spain.

Jamones Fernando SL

Antonio Herrero, who owned a ham company in Trevelez near Granada, was detained by Interpol officers in the Dominican Republic.
Police believe Herrero, 50, used his position as director of the CajaGranada bank in Trevelez to defraud 25 million euros from his victims.
Telling them they would see handsome returns, he misled 300 residents of the Granada town into investing money into his failing ham business.
Instead he absconded from Spain, spending the money on his lavish lifestyle first in Panama and then the Dominican Republic, where he was arrested on December 12.
Following his extradition to Spain he appeared before judges in Órgiva, telling the court how he fled in October 2004 as his ham business was “in ruins.”
During the four-hour hearing, he said his company first got into financial difficulties in 2000 before he started asking Trevelez residents to invest in Jamones Fernando SL.

Thousands expatriates living on the Costas could see their homes demolished

Thousands expatriates living on the Costas could see their homes demolished after it emerged the properties had been built illegally.Administrators sent in to run the town hall at Marbella recently announced that bulldozers would almost certainly be brought in to knock down illegal buildings there. Local corruption and the flaunting of planning laws have allowed swathes of the Spanish coastline to be developed during the last decade.illegal developments being demolished years after construction. Very public trials of local officials in Spain are bringing into doubt the legality of building permits which appeared to have been properly granted. ‘Land grab’ laws have seen illegal building stopped and buyers left holding worthless paper and their deposits lost. Around 100,000 illegal homes, including one owned by a former prime minister, face demolition in Spain, according to a new prosecutor appointed to tackle building fraud and corruption.Andalucía also has the greatest number of cases of urban corruption (26), which has seen 180 people implicated and accused of various offences such as bribery, money laundering and changing the status of land illegally to permit construction in places such as Marbella.
Following Andalucía are the Canary Islands and Valencia.

Helen and Leonard Prior sold their home in Berkshire and spent £570,000 turning an area of barren scrubland into a villa with heated swimming pool and landscaped gardens.
The £570,000 villa in Vera, Almeria, complete with heated swimming pool and landscaped gardens, is reduced to rubble
They named it "Tranquilidad" in expectation of how they would spend their retirement. But yesterday, a demolition ball turned their home of the past four years to rubble.
''We were utterly powerless to stop them," said Mrs Prior, who is 64 today. "We had hoped to spend the rest of our days here but within hours everything we worked for was destroyed."
Countless Britons have been duped by unscrupulous estate agents, lawyers or property developers into purchasing homes that have been built on green belt land or without proper permission.
Last November Spain's socialist government vowed to pull down all illegally built property on 480 miles of Mediterranean coastline. The Priors, who are believed to be the first British couple to have had their villa torn down, say they did everything possible to ensure they had approval to build their home on the outskirts of Vera in the Andalusian province of Almeria.
"We used a local builder and lawyer and have documentation from the town hall giving us planning permission," said Mrs Prior.
She added: "About 18 months ago we were informed that although the local council had approved the building the regional government of Andalusia had not." After seeking legal advice they were told that although their home had been built on designated "rustic land" it would probably be allowed to remain. But on Dec 16 a policeman came to the door with a demolition order.
"Even as late as Tuesday we were reassured by our legal team that the demolition would not go ahead as it was against the Spanish constitution," Mrs Prior said. It was not until Wednesday morning when the water was disconnected followed by the electricity that the couple realised what was going to happen.
"We looked outside and saw a team of policemen - about 20 of them all armed - approaching our house alongside a team of lorries and diggers and we knew we had lost our home. We are in shock."
The couple were given two hours to remove their belongings from the house before the bulldozers moved in.Francisco Paco of Irwin Mitchell, a law firm specialising in Spanish property law, said: "Local authorities have given licences to individuals for land that should be protected.
"The buyer therefore believes that what they are doing is legal, but they later discover that the land should never have been built on."

Illegal tiger hunt

The six people who faced charges in court for organising or taking part in an illegal tiger hunt on a private estate in Badajoz, Extremadura, in December 2005 have all escaped prison.
Manuel Domínguez, the owner of the land known as ‘Los Lunares’, was sentenced to two years in jail, but being his first sentence is has been suspended. Domínguez was found guilty of obtaining the animals from zoos and circuses in order to organise the illegal hunts which also saw wolves being imported from Holland and Germany
Two of the hunters, Tomás de la Flor and David Jiménez, were sentenced to 18 months in jail, and three employees at the estate were given ten months sentences.

Guardia Civil Patrol Boat runs aground

Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Rio Palma,Guardia Civil Patrol Boat ran aground in the vicinity of Punta de Scratch, in south of Tenerife
The patrol boat, which is based in Tenerife is used for search and rescue ran aground around at 19.00 at low tide,
The boat collided against the rocks, the captain hopes the boat will refloat on the high tide after the crash two Rescue boats approached the area to rescue the crew of the patrol boat.

New Flame shape of disasters to come in the overcrowded straits.

To date 217 tonnes of oil and other waste said to be from the New Flame has been washed up on beaches in Algeciras. The on-going work to clear up this residue from the wreck has now been hampered by the bad weather conditions. The latest arrival on the shoreline has been a large amount of ash. The Gibraltar Government has doubted whether this debris is from the semi-submerged vessel but says that if scientific tests prove that it is then it will pay for the clean-up operation.
The Gibraltar Government has stated that from the middle of this month a new salvage operation will be undertaken on the cargo vessel New Flame. This will be carried out by one of the leaders in the field, Titan Maritime, after previous efforts by a Greek salvage company were abandoned due to cost and technical problems.
The Panamanian cargo Vessel NEW FLAME, carrying a cargo of scrap metal and the Danish Product Tanker TORM GERTRUDE collided in Gibraltar waters, 1 kilometre south of Europa Point, Gibraltar at 05.55 hrs , Sunday 12th August 2007.
The NEW FLAME had just left Gibraltar bound for Turkey. The TORM GERTRUDE was heading inbound for the Port of Algeciras in Spain from the Eastern Mediterranean.
As a result of the collision both vessels were damaged. The TORM GERTRUDE proceeded to the Port of Algeciras in Spain. The vessel is currently in a safe condition.
The damage sustained by the NEW FLAME resulted in her taking in water with Nos. 1 and 2 holds being completely flooded. This caused the vessel to start sinking by the bow, at which point the crew of 23 abandoned ship safely.
The vessel then drifted to a nearby reef, where it came to rest. The current situation is that the bow of the vessel is resting on the reef and the remainder of the vessel, from amidships to the stern, is above the surface of the water.

Moratinos has defended the Spanish government's record over the New Flame claiming it had taken the necessary steps to protect the environment and was taking a keen interest in the matter. The Ministry of the Environment is maintaining a surveillance operation in the bay and ten specially trained technicians are on stand-by to deal with any pollution threat.

Mrs Audrey Fitzpatrick denies

Mrs Audrey Fitzpatrick denies clothing belonging to her missing daughter has so far been found in police searches.The Irish Independent, meanwhile said that a bra and a bag of clothes found on wasteland near Amy’s home, which it was thought may have been hers, did not belong to the missing girl. The paper said she was wearing a friend’s clothes when she disappeared and was carrying her own dirty clothes in a bag. It’s also reported that she had no money, mobile phone or passport with her.A further report that her black leggings had been found was discounted by her mother.
The search in Mijas for the 15 year old Irish girl, Amy Fitzpatrick, ended for the day at 3 pm on Wednesday, after combing the area for a little over five hours and failing to find anything of note. Francisco Ortega, the coordinator for the 112 emergency service in Málaga, said the search will continue on Thursday with the same personnel 250 Civil Guard, Protección Civil, local police and Red Cross volunteers – in areas which have not yet been covered. Seven sniffer dogs have also been taking part, plus air support from a Civil Guard helicopter. Wednesday’s search was split up into 12 areas, including the route Amy took home from the Calypso area to the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation in Calahonda on the night she disappeared, the evening of New Year’s Day. The search covered a radius of six kilometres.

Amy Fitzpatrick is the fourth young girl to disappear in the Malaga area

Amy Fitzpatrick is the fourth young girl to disappear in the Malaga area. in 1999. Rocío Waninkhof Mijas Area in 1999.Ana Elena Lorente disappered in Alora September 2000. María Teresa Fernández 18 disappeared 2000 in Motril. Coin Sonia Carabantes in the summer of 2003.The convicted murder Tony King blamed others for Costa del Sol murders! but was convicted by a substancial body of evidence and yet the Spanish press still are concerned with the level of disapperances within this small area of the coast. Sonia Carabantes was found strangled and beaten five days after disappearing on 14 August while returning home from a fiesta.
Rocio Wanninkhof disappeared from her home on 9 October, 1999 and was found strangled and naked. She had not been sexually assaulted.Amy’s family were at the Cala de Mijas football ground on Wednesday, hoping to be allowed to take part in the search for any sign of the teenager. The search was restricted to experienced personnel, however. EFE reports that Guillermo Wanninkof was also there to show his support. His daughter, 19 year old Rocío, died in 1999 at the hands of the British man who’s serving 19 years for her death, Tony King.

Five arrests took place in Spain

several tons of cocaine hidden in a cargo of frozen octopus. Eight people are in custody.235 of the 635 boxes on board were found to contain a frozen substance with traces of octopus, but which also tested positive for cocaine. The total weight, including the ice, is 9.4 tons. A complete analysis of the cargo is being carried out at the Police Forensics Laboratory in Lisbon to determine exactly how much cocaine is in the boxes.Five of the eight arrests took place in Spain: in Toledo, Madrid and Salamanca. One of them is originally from Colombia, but now has Spanish nationality. There were also four property searches which resulted in police confiscating 50,000 € in cash, laptop computers and PDAs, two luxury vehicles, mobile phones, and a large amount of documentation.
The refrigerated container reached the port in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, on 22nd December, ostensibly with a cargo of 24 tons of frozen octopus. It came from Venezuela and was to be delivered to a Portuguese importers, and then sent on to Spain.
Portuguese police said Monday they had seized 9.4 metric tons (10.4 tons) of cocaine hidden in a ship container and broken up an international drug-smuggling ring.
A police statement said a joint investigation with Spanish authorities that lasted almost three years led to the discovery of the cocaine last month in a ship that docked at Lisbon after traveling from Venezuela.
The cocaine was dissolved in a frozen liquid that was part of a cargo of octopus, the statement said.
Following the seizure, Spanish police arrested five suspects, including one Colombian, and two other people were detained in Portugal.three people taken into custody in Portugal are all Portuguese, and one is a woman.

Amy Fitzpatrick:Pranks and misunderstanding hamper search.

Amy's stepfather Dave Mahon said that there were still no firm leads but the investigation had been hampered by a spate of prank calls. while they have been getting a wide volume of calls, there has not been one sighting of Amy.
police had confirmed that they had found a bra and a bag of clothes just 500m from the home of missing teenager after further investigation, local police established that the clothing, found on wasteland, did not belong to Amy. forensic examinations have been intensified in the area around the popular seaside area. Due to the three Kings national holiday the scale of the search had been temporaly scaled down but it has now been resumed with 200 police taking part, search dogs and helicopters.

Julie Mollart

Julie Mollart, fell from 14th floor balcony of the Hotel Flamingo in Benidorm on Christmas Day in what police are treating as an accident . She died the next day.
The mum-of-one was on holiday with her partner and family. Friends are preparing to take her body back to Burslem, in Staffordshire.
She had booked the holiday to get over the recent death of her father.

Amy Fitzpatrick: .

"The spanish police have been searching, including helicopters. The spanish press have had the story on the front page. The area where she walked home is very seedy, not a place I would want to walk late in the evening. " quote from an EXPAT resident of Riviera del Sol.
Massive Police search operation: 15-year-old Amy Fitzpatrick originally from Dublin, but moved to Spain with her family three years ago.disappeared on New Year's Day after she left her friend's house to walk home.Spanish Police are now searching door to door ,nearby waste ground and the surrounding hills. Amy's cousin, Nicola Donohoe, appealed to the teenager to call her if she was safe. "This is your cousin Nicola, I've flown here today to see you," she said after jetting in to Malaga from Dublin "You can call the hotline number (0034) 686044181. Send me Bernadine's son's name, so I know it's really you. I'll come and meet you wherever you want privately.For the second day running, dozens of officers with sniffer dogs combed waste ground around the area in Spain's Costa del Sol where the 15-year-old was last seen.

Amy Fitzpatrick: Mystery Disappearance ( similar to the Mcanns in Portugal ) on Spanish Costas

Housewife Audrey Fitzpatrick, 39, from Dublin’s northside, said she was starting to fear the worst after not hearing from the 15-year-old since she rang to wish her Happy New Year. Amy Fitzpatrick, 15, disappeared after leaving their house to walk back to her nearby Costa del Sol home around 10pm on January 1. Civil Guard officers spent yesterday searching waste ground in the tourist resort of Riviera del Sol near Fuengirola close to the route she would have taken.
She said: “All I want is for Amy to pick up a phone and ring me or a friend and say she’s okay but at the back of my mind is that horrible fear that something’s happened to her and she can’t.
“The longer this goes on, the worst this gets. I’ve racked my brains for a reason as to why Amy might want to go off on her own and I can’t think of one.
“She’s never done anything like this before. We’ve traced the route we think she would have taken but found no clues as to what might have happened. It’s a route she knows well and involves a walk of about two minutes down a dirt track. I’m beside myself with worry.”
Audrey said: “She was like a typical ex-pat youngster over here, hated Spain one minute and loved it the next. But she was settling in reasonably well and getting to grips with the Spanish.
“The police have been brilliant and are doing all they can to help us find Amy so we’ve no complaints there.
“But we’ve reached a bit of a dead end,” she added.
Amy’s disappearance follows reports of a suspected paedophile targeting local children.
Several locals say a man in a white van has been spotted trying to pick up children and take them away.
Audrey was last night preparing to distribute hundreds of appeal posters showing her daughter’s face around the area with Amy’s step-father, Dave McMahon.
Amy’s older brother Dean, 17, spent the day taking police to see friends and find out if they had been in contact.
A police helicopter spent yesterday morning flying over waste ground behind Amy’s home.
The green-belt land, sandwiched between a motorway running along the Costa del Sol and houses leading down to the Mediterranean, is popular with local dog walkers.
Amy, who has dark, shoulder-length hair, was wearing a black jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, a black Diesel T-shirt and black furry boots, when she was last seen.
Police have spoken to the Spanish man and his English ex-pat wife she was babysitting for before she went missing.
Amy’s step-father, who also comes from Dublin and works as an estate agent on the Costa del Sol, was last night too upset to speak.
Amy moved with her family to the Costa del Sol from her native Dublin three-and-a-half years ago.
Family pal, Ritchie Harris, from London, said: “Her family are beside themselves with worry. It was only a 10-minute walk home from the house where she was babysitting. She left about 10pm on New Year’s Day and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.
“Obviously we’re trying not to, but at the back of your mind in situations like this you always fear the worst. Amy is a very pretty girl and although she’s mature for her age and likes to mix with an older crowd, she’s only 15 and still very much of a youngster.”
Mr Harris said: “I’ve spent the night looking through Amy’s emails and speaking to her friends on MSN Messenger for any clues as to what might have happened to her.”

Deborah Hatto:Ms Hatto's 59-year-old German partner Jimmie Welles, originally from Frankfurt, was arrested at the house by the Civil Guard

A man has been arrested in connection with the death of a British woman in southern Spain, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.
The body of 42-year-old Deborah Hatto was reportedly found stabbed at her home on the Costa del Sol in Coin, near Malaga, in the early hours of Friday morning.
Reports from Spain say Ms Hatto's 59-year-old German partner was arrested at the house by the Civil Guard and is to appear before an investigating judge.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the next of kin have been informed of the death of Ms Hatto, who is believed to be from West Sussex. Reports indicate that the aggressor stabbed his victim in the heart.
He said: "There was an incident and a male suspect has been arrested in connection with it.
"Consular officials are providing assistance and are in contact with the Spanish authorities and Sussex Police.
UPDATE
Jimmie Welles:Ms Hatto's 59-year-old German partner Jimmie Welles, originally from Frankfurt, was arrested at the house by the Civil Guard and is to appear before an investigating judge.

Miguel ángel Jiménez

Miguel ángel Jiménez,Malaga golfer whose home is in Churriana, was burgled while he was out for dinner with his family. He returned home to find that a BMW, valued at more than 30,000 euros, had gone, along with jewels and a collection of valuable watches.

The blaze which destroyed 600 hectares was started by a spark from a hire car engine

The blaze which destroyed 600 hectares was started by a spark from a hire car engine
The Junta de Andalucía is to receive 2.5 million € compensation for a forest fire in the Sierra de Mijas in 2001 to cover the cost of the fire fighting effort, as well as the reforestation of 590 hectares of public land. The money will be paid by the company, Volksfürge, the insurers of the rental car which started the fire, and is said by 20 minutos to be the first agreement of its type.
The fire started late on 28th July 2001 when the car broke down on the road to Coín. A spark from the smoking engine started the first flames, which rapidly spread in winds of more than 40 kph, and caused 300 people to be evacuated from their homes.
The blaze destroyed 600 hectares before it was finally extinguished several days later.fires in Istán and Casares were both started through negligence
Police have made two arrests in connection with two forest fires in Málaga province which were both started through negligence.
A fire which broke out in Istán was brought under control after four hours after destroying an estimated 20 hectares. The person believed to be responsible for starting the blaze was, according to a report in Diario Sur, using an electric saw without proper fire prevention precautions.
Another arrest was made in connection with a fire which destroyed 2.5 hectares in the Baños de la Hedionda area of Casares on 7th August. It is the second arrest in the case.
And in Benaoján, the authorities are still investigating the cause of a blaze which destroyed two hectares in the Cueva del Gato area on Tuesday.

Drugs hauls in the final months of 2007

police arrested 13 people in the culmination of an operation which began in Torremolinos, Málaga province, some months ago. Officers discovered a cocaine laboratory set up in Madrid in this second phase, and arrested suspects from the Dominican Republic, Nigeria, Venezuela, Colombia and Spain. They seized 10 kilos of cocaine, together with another 100 kilos of substances which would have been used to cut the drug. Organised Crime and Drugs Squad, and seized 2.7 kilos of cannabis with a street value of 15 million €. The drugs were brought in through the coasts of Alicante and Almería, and stored in premises in Villena, Alicante, the Valencia town of Alberic, and in a warehouse on an Alicante industrial estate, before being sold on in Spain, France and Holland. Dutch-registered vehicle was intercepted after loading up with 350 kilos of cannabis at the Alicante warehouse, and its two drivers, both from Holland, were taken into custody. A further 1.7 tons of cannabis were found stored in the warehouse, and other smaller amounts in three other vehicles intercepted in Alberic and Villena, together with more than half a ton found in a house in Alberic. It’s understood the remaining suspects are 16 Moroccan nationals and one from Lithuania.seized 33 kilos of heroin, in a two-phase operation carried out by National Police from Madrid, Murcia and Alicante, where 10 suspected members of an international network were taken into custody. Four suspects are said to be from Eastern Europe, with another six from Spain.
The Interior Ministry says the end product was mainly distributed in the Madrid Region, Barcelona, Santander

WANTED: Lee Carroll,Steven Taylor,Laurence James, Kevin Van der Vos

Gwilym Rhys-Jones from the Costa del Sol Action Group said: “Once again we have this dreadful scenario in which honest and hard-working people are conned into parting with their life savings, thinking they are buying their dream home in the sun for holidays and eventual retirement.
“All the paperwork looks good on the face of it with even the name of a major Spanish bank on documents appearing to be backing the operation.
“There is enough money missing to interest the UK police who are investigating the case and one can only hope the perpetrators will be caught and made to disgorge whatever money they have that belongs to these innocent people.”Now, the group, who include residents in Mollina and Fuente de Piedra, have joined up with the Costa del Sol Action Group to seek damages.
“We are gathering together as many people as we can who have ostensibly been defrauded by Palmera Properties and its associates,”
“We are gathering together as many people as we can who have ostensibly been defrauded by Palmera Properties and its associates,” said lawyer Gwilym Rhys-Jones.
“The class action is now in its final stages with prison sentences and restitution orders expected for the miscreants.”
The move comes after hundreds of Britons spent a fortune on dream holiday homes, many of which have still not been built three years on.
Police are investigating a real estate company after its four directors apparently fled owing clients thousands of euros.
Ideal Spain marketed off-plan property across Andalucia until the company’s mystery disappearance early this year.
Detectives in Essex are now probing whether the directors took deposits illegally.
Scores of clients have complained that the company, which had its headquarters in Southend on Sea, took thousands for homes that remain unfinished or even un-built.

Blind eye to the use of drugs in some bars in Ronda

A Guardis Civil Officer in Ronda , named as Rosendo S. has been ordered to prison without bail in connection with police corruption in the town.
The Insrtuction Judge 3 In Ronda ordered him to prison and the officer will now been transfered to the Sevilla II prison.
The Chargers against the officer include trafficking in documents such as passports, and of turning a blind eye to the use of drugs in some bars in Ronda in exchange for favours which amounts to Perversion of the Course of justice, fraud and other charges.
The order comes in connection with the arrest of seven policemen earlier in the year, three of those arrested in the case remain in Prison.

40,000 € to two National Police Officers

40,000 € to two National Police Officers
It came to light in a police report on Tuesday and says that two National police officers received payments from Roca.Reports say that Roca made six payments between May 2004 and December 2005 – a total of 31,000 € to Bernadino R.M and one payment of 7,500 € in January 2005 to his colleague, José Miguel A.H.
Juan Antonio Roca has been linked to the case of the flamenco dancer, Farruquito, who is serving time for negligent homicide for a hit and run in Seville in September 2003
Oscar Benavente, who is believed to have been a front man for Roca, was previously found guilty of helping the dancer to cover up the hit and run and was sentenced to a year in prison.
The report also reveals that both were under investigation by police internal affairs on a drugs-related matter, and a telephone conversation during that investigation was what led to Farruquito’s conviction. The conversation was between Bernadino R.M. and Oscar Benavente.
The report states that Benavente gave unspecified instructions in that conversation so that an un-named third party could escape justice. The recorded conversation was not, in the event, admitted as evidence in the Farruquito case.

Hashish trafficking

Hashish trafficking: The EU estimates that, at £2bn a year, hashish is unofficially both Morocco's main foreign-currency source and a major contributor to its gross domestic product. Drug trafficking from Morocco (estimated at $12.5 billion) has been identified as the major source of funding for three major terrorist incidents: the aborted attack on a US Navy vessel in Gibraltar in 2002; the bombing of several sites in Casablanca in May 2003, and the March 2004 attack on rail passengers in Madrid.The usual penalty for smoking or buying Hashish is ten years imprisonment. Since cannabis is unofficially Morocco's biggest foreign currency earner it is obvious that the government can hardly afford to make a serious crackdown on the business. Those who are most often fined or penalized are therefore the traveler smoking on a street or being careless when buying off an undercover policeman in a marketplace. If you ever find yourself in this situation, see if you can pay a fine on the spot rather than agreeing to go to prison; Moroccan jails are not pleasant places.

Prince of Marbella Atalaya del Río Verde,With enough money, you can buy all the respect you need

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reports that the cabinet could make the final decision on the extradition of the Syrian alleged arms dealer before the New Year.The police in Spain believe that the extradition of the Syrian millionaire alleged arms dealer, Monzer Al Kassar, to the United States would mean an increased risk and danger for Spain and for the Spanish soldiers in the Lebanon. El Mundo reports that is the conclusion in a note drawn up by police intelligence
Spain has arrested Al Kassar in the past on charges of piracy and providing the arms to the Abu Abbas-led PLF terrorists who hijacked the Achille Lauro cruise ship and murdered American Leon Klinghoffer. Western intelligence agencies concluded that Al Kassar flew Abbas to safety aboard one of his private planes after the hijackers surrendered. One prosecution witness, Ahmed Al Assadi, while spending time in Vercelli prison for participating in the hijacking, changed his story and refused to go to Spain to identify Al Kassar as the person who supplied the hijackers' weapons. After Al Kassar's arrest, another accuser, Ismail Jalid, fell to his death from a fifth-story window in Marbella, Spain, in what the coroner called "an alcoholic coma." During the 1995 trial, in a highly publicized standoff with police, a third witness's children were kidnapped by Colombian drug traffickers shortly before he testified. The witness blamed Al Kassar, who denied involvement and stated, "I have nothing to do with the kidnapping and I hope that it is over as soon as possible. Children are sacred for Arabs. No one, not even your worst enemy, deserves this." Al Kassar was later acquitted of all charges.
Geneva Cantonal prosecutor Laurent Kasper-Answermet upheld his 1992 freeze on $6 million belonging to Al Kassar, arguing that his financial investigation found the funds to have come from criminal activities. The financial side of an arms deal leaves a paper trail, whereas arms hidden in shipping containers, guerilla armies and corrupt government officials leave none. In 1998, a Geneva appeals court upheld the seizure but released $3.7 million not directly linked to the arms deal. U.S. government has been well aware of Kassar's work on behalf of terrorists around the world since the 1970s. Kassar was allegedly up to his neck in the Iran-Contra scandal, the BCCI scandal, the murder of Achille Lauro passenger Leon Klinghoffer, and the supply of weapons that were in all likelihood used against American soldiers in the 1993 Black Hawk Down incident in Somalia. Yet no American court had ever leveled formal charges against him, and he'd spent decades hiding in plain sight. "Most arms dealers of his caliber aren't skulking in some shithole in Marseille," says David Isenberg, a senior analyst with the British American Security Information Council. Isenberg has been tracking illicit arms dealers for almost 20 years. "He's been on radar screens. With enough money, you can buy all the respect you need."

New DigiTax comes into force early in the New Year

Digitax is to be imposed to protect intellectual property rights and compensate for work copied for private use.
Under the tax, which has taken over a year to thrash out and could come into force early in the New Year, external hard drives will see an extra 12 euros added to their price with MP3/MP4 players, mobile phones and CD and DVD recorders having 3.15, 1.5, 0.60 and 3.40 euros respectively added.
Other items which are already being taxed will see cuts. These include blank CDs in the following formats: CD-R down from 0.22 to 0.17 euros, DVD-R down from 0.60 to 0.44 euros.
Other formats such as CD-RW and DVD-RW stay at 0.22 and 0.60 euros respectively.
The extra tax on multifunctional ink printers will drop from 15 to 7.95 euros and on laser printers it will be cut from 15 euros to 10. Scanners will carry the same tax of nine euros.

Costa Connection

The first large property investors on the Costa - the sun-and-sangria bolt-hole where British criminals used to live openly without fear of extradition - he owned a villa called El Limonar at Benalmadena, two flats on the Marbella golden mile and a small townhouse at Mijas.
£6 million, the Security Express robbery was the biggest cash haul in British history and the five suspects, the 'Famous Five', became Britain's best known runaways.The headlines were Six hooded gunmen stole an estimated three tons of pure gold from a warehouse near Heathrow Airport here after dousing security guards with gasoline and threatening to set them afire. The haul, valued at $37.5 million, was the richest in British history and one of the biggest of all time. Insurers offered a reward of $3 million for information leading to the recovery of the loot, which also included a small quantity of diamonds, the value of which was not determined.
When they appeared on the Costa living lives of luxury in the sun, the trend of ex-pat criminals living in Spain was blown wide open. Security Express suspects Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Knight £314,813 from the Security Express robbery became unlikely celebrities in a tabloid tale that would fascinate the public and frustrate the authorities for the next decade.

Fernando del Valle honoured

The Chilean-born lawyer, Fernando del Valle, who is considered by police to be the mastermind behind the ‘Ballena Blanca’ scam, has been honoured by his colleagues in the Málaga College of Lawyers. Málaga lawyers presented him with a medal and diploma to mark his 25-years of service to the profession
Del Valle was released from jail on September 26 after posting 600,000 euros in cash as bail, some of which was raised by his fellow lawyers. .

Costa del Sol racecourse

Throughout the year racing fans can enjoy the weekly horse races at Mijas Costa. From October to May on Sunday mornings from 10.30h. From June to September in the cooler evening temperatures on Saturday from 23.00h. Racing lasts around three hours.
The racecourse attracts punters and fans from all along the coast and is hugely popular with locals and tourists of all nationalities. As an equestrian centre, there are plenty of courses available plus riding lessons and competitions.Costa del Sol racecourse described the current situation of a company that employs 80 people (33 of them full-time and the rest paid by race or event), but has not paid them since last September. He blames the financial problems of the Carrera Entertainment Corporation on bad management. “They owe a lot of money, not only to the workers, but to suppliers and so on as well. Now we have the additional problem of dealing with our lost credibility among these companies and sponsors,” he added.
Most of the workers have been there since the beginning, and one of the conditions of the granting of the concession in the past was to maintain the workforce at the same level. But the workers are now worried about their jobs, because it is expected that this clause will be eliminated in any future concession contract.
The Partido Popular spokesperson said his party proposes that the new concession holder take full responsibility for the existing staff debt.

Billboards without authorisation

300 advertising billboards without authorisation in the municipality of Marbella, the majority of them on privately owned land and around a hundred on public land. In the case of the former, explained the councillor, the details of the installers must be handed in at the Town Hall so that authorisation can be granted if applicable. In the case of billboards on municipal land, it will be up to the Town Hall to decide where the boards can be located and the corresponding contracts will be put out to tender “so that all firms have the chance to use them”.

The dismantling of the first illegal billboards is a sign of the enforcement of a new bylaw announced by the Mayor, ángeles Muñoz, in which she called on all the firms using the billboards and the installers to take them down or show the necessary paperwork at the Town Hall. If this is not done the local authority will carry out the work although the bill will be sent to those responsible for the billboards.

Homejacking Christmas Threat to Costa Security

The act of committing a homejacking is escalating much like carjacking. The reason for the increase seems to follow a similar pattern. Much like automobiles, the traditional commercial targets for robbers like convenience stores and fast-food restaurants have hardened themselves against criminal attack and have reduced available cash. Technology has allowed commercial establishments to install affordable video surveillance systems, silent alarms, and other anti-crime deterrent devices. A residence, by comparison, is now a more attractive choice.

Home invaders know that they won't have to overcome alarm systems when the home is occupied or be worried about video cameras and silent alarms. Unlike robbing a retail store, home invaders expect privacy once inside your home and won’t have to deal with the police suddenly driving up or customers walking in. Once the offenders take control of a residence they can force the occupants to open safes, locate hidden valuables, supply keys to the family car, and PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Home invaders will try to increase their escape time by disabling the phones and sometimes will leave their victims bound or incapacitated. It is not unheard of for robbers to load up the victim’s car with valuables and drive away without anyone in the neighborhood taking notice
Breaking News:10 burglaries with violence .Police say the four men, all Moroccan, are also facing charges of being in the country illegally.The four detainees are aged between 18 and 21 and have 42 previous arrests between them.
The arrests followed a lengthy investigation by undercover officers who linked the four men to 10 burglaries with violence carried out in Rincón de Loix, Armanello, Salto del Agua, Amafrá, Foi Manera and La Lloma and nine attacks on tourists.
All of the crimes were committed at night and involved violence including strangulation.
Three of the detainees were picked up at the same time while the fourth was captured by local police following a pursuit through the town. Police were alerted to the man after a check on the vehicle he was driving found it had been stolen weeks earlier in Orihuela.
A search of property being used by the gang uncovered 1,600 watches, a large amount of jewellery, mobile telephones and coin collections.

Julián Muñoz

ex-mayor of Marbella, Julián Muñoz will be released from jail later today after posting bail of €50,000 euros corresponding to charges outside the 'Malaya' investigation into property development related corruption, referring, instead, to a money-laundering investigation as a result of which, Muñoz's current girlfriend, flamenco star, Isabel Pantoja, and former wife, Maite Zaldívar, have also been charged.
Judge Óscar Pérez granted Muñoz bail of €50,000 on the 21st September on the charges related to the 'Malaya' investigation, which the former mayor's lawyers posted, but failed to achieve their client's release.
Muñoz has been in custody since July 2006 and is currently being held at Jaén jail.

Sniper Films Morrocan Police Corruption

The Sniper chose the anonymity of the Internet to expose his evidence for fear of reprisals by local authorities.The independent Moroccan Human Rights Association (AMDH) criticised police for hunting him, saying that an unspecified number of youths from Sniper's home village, Tarjist, were arrested by police seeking his identity and whereabouts.
To his surprise, the video has drawn tens of thousands of viewers around the world and made him a hero among downtrodden Moroccans tired of paying bribes to civil servants to avoid a fine or to obtain official papers, health care and justice.
"Take up your cameras, dear Moroccans," said one commentator on YouTube who identified himself as Youyoubes. "Such scenes you will find on any street corner. Unfortunately there is not a sniper in every house."

The entire development is “illegal, but built with the consent of the authorities.”

Man absolved after adding extension and pool to illegal home on proposed World Heritage site
JUDGES in Córdoba have acquitted the owner of one of the 240 illegal homes on the protected Medina Azahara site for extending the property even though it faces demolition.
The defendant, who built a swimming pool and an extra room at his house at the Las Pitas development, was facing two years imprisonment as well as a 3,240 euro fine.
Even though the entire housing complex had been constructed on protected land, the owner of the house proceeded to extend it by 25 square metres and build a pool in the garden in 2006.
But on December 7, magistrate José Antonio Carnerero ruled that no punishment should be imposed, despite acknowledging the illegal conduct of the accused.
Carnerero pointed out that the entire development is “illegal, but built with the consent of the authorities.”
Carnerero had already absolved one owner of an illegal Medina Azahara property and is set to try five others in the near future.
The magistrate blamed the existence of the illegal homes on the incompetence of the local administrations, stating “the widespread lack of adherence to town planning laws and the lack of effectiveness within the council should not result in the criminalization of all.”

Moroccan mafia

Moroccan mafia dedicate themselves to the task of introducing illegal immigrants of all nationalities into the European Union. These immigrants traverse the Straits of Gibraltar in fishing boats from the south of Spain or in small wooden boats whose disadvantage is that they are often lost in the stormy waters of the Straits, but which have the advantage that they cannot be detected by police radar. According to official calculations, only thirty percent of these "wet backs" who risk their lives to cross the Straits of Gibraltar in small boats are caught. And in the last five years, six thousand have been captured. The price per immigrant is between $8,000 and $40,000. On the payment of this sum, the immigrants receive not only clandestine passage into the European Union but also a number of very practical tips on how to take advantage of the legal system of the European countries, in particular, Spain, their port of entry. The Moroccan mafias counsel the immigrants that if they dispose of their passports upon arrival in the Iberian peninsula, it will, in practice, be impossible to repatriate them. This is due to the fact that the Moroccan authorities take no responsibility for citizens whose nationality cannot be proved. The police have forty days to make a study of the case of each immigrant. If, within this time, they are not able to come up with basic information, such as the name and nationality of the immigrants, they are obligated to set them free. The immigrants are also advised by the mafias to declare themselves citizens of a country at war, which gives them the right to temporary residence while their request for political asylum is reviewed. In addition they are given the names of various non-profit organisations where they can ask for help in finding work. If there are subsequent problems with the police, they should say that they have lost their papers, and later someone will testify that they are long-time residents of Spain. the coast of the Straits of Gibraltar is the number one destination for immigrants from Africa wishing to illegally enter Spain. The coastline between Algeciras and Tarifa bore the brunt of the landings. The Guardia Civil detained 2,336 people trying to illegally land in this zone. That figure accounts for more than 75 per cent of the clandestine immigrant landings in the province. The beach of Barbate is a popular dropping off point with 765 immigrants being detained in that location.
Of the 2,336 illegals detained in the Campo de Gibraltar region the majority of them come from Morocco. Morocco accounted for 1,352 of that total followed by the Congo with 286, Nigeria 138, Sierra Leone 72, with the balance made up from various other countries on the African continent.

Costa del Sol arms trafficking

International arms trafficking groups are the oldest international criminal groups in Spain. They are principally Arabs, who have a long history in the Costa del Sol region, from which they manage their business throughout the world. In their wake many other crime organisation have arrived, mainly looking for secure territories for money laundering. Colombian narcotic cartels, essentially involved in cocaine trafficking, have used Galicia (in Northwest Spain) as a bridgepoint to Europe since the mid 1980s. Besides these cartels' well-known relations with Galician smugglers, they have also established contacts in other coastal regions in Spain.Centering on Costa del Sol, in Southern Spain. Their main activity consisted of laundering the money generated in businesses such as drug trafficking, arm trafficking, extortion and kidnapping. After creating operating bases and incorporating new and powerful criminal organisations, they have achieved a division of labour so perfect that they have been able to operate virtually unnoticed by the majority of the general public. The only violent incidences in Spain have been mainly a consequence of internal power conflicts in the organisation headquarters. International criminal organisations in Spain always have tried to avoid the ostentatious violence they use in other parts of the world in order to maintain this country as a secure base for money-laundering.

2,000 homes could face demolition in the resort.

It is apparent this is no tourist promotional video for the Levante resort, but a stinging indictment of a construction policy that has seen 100,000 new homes built in the town in recent years – many of which stand empty.However, under the government’s draft of intent to rid the coast of homes built illegally after the Coast Law of 1988, around 2,000 homes could face demolition in the resort.
More than 6,000 viewers have seen this video since it was added to popular website YouTube at the end of October by its maker – the mysteriously monikered Puffin 2206.
It has even featured on Spanish national television, with Telecinco including it in a news broadcast in early November.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSO31QJwKGQ

The inspiration for the video was born out of frustration that a “dictatorship” of cement reigns in the town, claims the maker, who used a hand-held video camera and a simple computer editing software package to make the three-minute film.
“I bought a resale property here 18 months ago. I enjoy walking in the countryside and have recently been perturbed to realise all the green space in the town has been

The Bank of Spain has voiced concerns

The Bank of Spain has voiced concerns over the high levels of debt in the housing and construction sector. “It’s a cause for concern that requires the vigilance of management, experts and institutions,” says the bank’s director of research José Luis Malo de Molina.

According to Malo de Molina the housing and construction sector has the highest level of debt in the economy. Borrowing in the construction sector has reached 800% of the sector’s gross value added, compared to 300% in the energy sector, and way above debt levels in other sectors such as transport and telecommunications.

The bank’s concerns have heightened with the recent financial turbulence, which the bank expects to raise borrowing costs even if interest rates fall.

Marbella appear to have started fining buyers for under-declaring

the property market in Marbella has been in the doldrums for a number of years. As a result market prices are back where they were 3 or more years ago, even if official figures suggest that prices have been steadily rising, albeit at a lower rate than before. Official figures are notoriously unreliable, and everyone knows that they overstate prices. The scandal is that tax officials in Marbella appear to have started fining buyers for under-declaring (paying part of the price under the table in cash) even if they haven’t. If the tax office thinks that the declared price is too low, they fine the buyer. So if you do everything by the book, declare the full price, and pay all your taxes, you might still be fined. All that matters is the price the tax authorities believe you should have paid, which might well be above the price you actually pay. A classic catch-22: whatever you do, you can’t win. Heaven help you if you find a real bargain.

The British Consul in Malaga, Bruce McIntyre

The British Consul in Malaga, Bruce McIntyre, recently revealed his office now spends much of its time trying to help old and lonely expatriots who can no longer cope. “Sometimes people have made bad property investments or have not budgeted their pensions and are living in extreme poverty.” With the University of Barcelona warning that the price of the average home in Spain is set to fall 20% between 2007 and 2009, it seems more and more people could find their Spanish property dream turning into a nightmare.

cocaine addiction has surpassed the number of heroin addicts in Granada

During this year, the number of people being treated for cocaine addiction has surpassed the number of heroin addicts in Granada for the first time. During 2006, 2,000 people passed through the treatment centres of the CPD, 20 per cent of whom were addicted to cocaine and 26 per cent to heroin. So far this year, 24 per cent have been treated by the centre for cocaine addiction and 19.8 per cent have been treated for heroin addiction.

The report also details that cocaine sold in Granada tends to be up to 50 per cent pure; a high level of purity which, claims Torres, ensures a higher level of addiction. The rest is made up of sugars, anesthetics and other elements, such as talcum powder, flour or even heroin.

shattered, the dreams of many Britons have been left in ruins

shattered, the dreams of many Britons have been left in ruins after they were forced to wait four years for their promised home in the sun.
Some also fear they have lost their 23,000-euro deposits placed on property in the Zoco complex in the hamlet of El Golco in la Alpujarra.
Agents Palmera Properties had initially insisted the two-bedroom apartments in phases 4 and 5 would be ready for 2006.

Princes William and Harry Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista

Princes William and Harry have become occasional visitors at Finca La Garganta, near the village of Conquista, on the border with Castilla La Mancha.
Under the guise of hunting – the estate is literally teeming with wildlife including wild boar, stag and partridge – the young princes have whisked girlfriends, including Kate Middleton, to the estate that the Duke bought on an initial ten-year lease for a reported £2million five years ago.
Staying in a stunning ten-bed villa - one of three the Duke has spent millions constructing in the heart of the estate - the eligible princes took girlfriends out shooting and even wined and dined them at a well-known local restaurant.Located at a remote estate on the Cordoba/Extremadura border - close to where British royals Prince William and Harry have hunted - dozens of Spanish, Italian and even English hunters paid up to 30,000 euros for the thrill of killing big game.
Now, estate owner Manuel Dominguez, 42, is facing three years in prison at the trial which is due to begin at San Benito district court in the Autumn. Fellow hunt organisers and three hunters - including a married couple from Fuenlabrada, Madrid - face two years.

housing starts since August are down 40 percent

Spanish property companies are coming to terms with the end of a massive boom, with housing starts well down on last year as sales fall and credit tightens.
Pedro Pérez, the secretary general of the so-called G-14 lobby, which groups together the 13 biggest real-estate companies in Spain, told reporters yesterday that housing starts since August are down 40 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.
On top of falling sales, the sector is also feeling the effects of the credit crunch sparked by the US subprime mortgage crisis of the past summer.
According to figures released earlier this week by the College of Property Registrars, sales of homes have dropped 30 percent since the summer, compared with a fall of 15 percent in the first half.

world's longest cable car line in the Sierra Nevada

Environmental authorities on Wednesday quashed plans to build the world's longest cable car line in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, arguing the project would have a devastating impact on fragile local ecosystems.
The ruling by the Andalusian environment department was applauded by conservationists who had campaigned to block the construction of the 19-kilometre line that was to have linked the city of Granada with Sierra Nevada. The department decided it would put at risk endangered bird species in a protected area of the mountain range and create an eyesore.

Mr Roca's rise to riches began in 1991

Once an unemployed builder, Mr Roca allegedly gave the former mayor Marisol Yague [euro]1.3m ([pound]800,000) in bribes, slipped to her in plain envelopes, funding a facelift and home improvements costing [euro]950,000. The deputy mayor, Isabel Marcos, had [euro]360,000 in cash at her home, while Mr Roca accumulated an art collection worth [euro]30m, including a valuable Miro, displayed in his steaming Jacuzzi. When prosecutors investigated 18 shell companies registered in tax havens worldwide to launder the ill- gotten profits, they found not one legitimate business transaction.

Mr Roca's rise to riches began in 1991, when he became the right- hand man of Marbella's flamboyant mayor, Jesus Gil. He subsequently amassed a [euro]120m fortune, according to the 450-page indictment issued recently by judge Miguel Angel Torres, made mainly from the greed and easy money of Spain's long property boom. Town halls throughout Spain were caught up in the tide of illegality, but the sheer baroque excess of the Marbella scandal dwarfed them all. Last year the government dissolved the entire council and installed a management committee.

Marbella town hall approved a thousand building licences

Marbella town hall approved a thousand building licences in recent years and that, out of 80,000 homes in the resort, only 50,000 have been declared properly legal.
Town hall councillors were accused of failing to review the majority of licences given since 1998 and continuing to give "illegal licences". Most of these were awarded in the 1990s when Marbella was run by the populist mayor and property developer Jesús Gil, who was later imprisoned when one of the hotels he built collapsed killing 58 insurance agents.

Charlie Wilson,s alleged killer resurfaces AKA Willy Douglas, Terence Tompkins, William Baird McDonald,Willy Grant,(Update)

Great Train Robber, Charlie Wilson, 57,was shot dead along with his dog by a man on a motorbike, on the doorstep of his Villa in Marbella in 1990. , initiating a gangland feud.Wilson’s wife, Pat, witnessed the murder and said Grant was the gunman
The gunman was never caught, but the getaway car driver, Danny `Scarface’ Roff, was himself the target of a fatal hit in 1997. Roff was already in a wheelchair after a gunman sprayed the bar of a south London club with bullets the year before.A Scottish man who faked his own death and is linked with the murder of Great Train Robber Charlie Wilson may be living in Ireland.
Walter "Wattie" Douglas AKA Willy Grant, 37, from the east end of Glasgow, is still wanted by Spanish police for questioning over Wilson’s murder in Marbella on the Costa del Sol.
He is also wanted in connection with a child abduction case in Portugal and a shooting in England.Portuguese police were also looking for him at the same time over suspected involvement in a child abduction incident.
But Grant was never found, and in 1991 word had reached Glasgow that he had died abroad.But a body was never brought home for burial.
Police thought that was the end of the matter until four Scotsmen, and two others, were held over a large consignment of drugs in Dublin recently.
After questioning the six men, police reopened their files on Grant, working on the belief that he was operating in Ireland.
Grant was close to a Scottish crime lord known as Tam "The Licensee" McGraw, who may have had an involvement with the heroin haul.The Licensee was, until his death,on July 30, 2007 , believed to be living off and on in Marbella with his hired former Serbian Army bodyguards.
The crime boss had been cleared, in 1998, after a lengthy trial, of smuggling cannabis from Spain into Scotland using a school bus full of children as cover.The case against him was found not proven, but his brother-in-law, John Healy, was jailed for 10 years.There will be a good few who will be raising their glasses because, while he has been on the Costa Del Crime, he has been in the frame for murder and grassing other guys up.Douglas, of Ruchill, Glasgow, was arrested in Ibiza .
Police swooped after he got off a flight using a fake passport with the name William Baird McDonald.
It is one of two false aliases he uses, the other being Terence Tompkins.
A judge in Marbella issued a warrant for his arrest.
He is accused of masterminding a massive money-laundering operation in southern Spain involving "millionaire property and financial investments".
He will be taken to the Spanish mainland amid strict security to face trial.
Last night, Spanish police called Douglas "the principal narcotics dealer in his own country".
A spokesman at the National Police Headquarters in Madrid said: "We are still gathering information on this suspect.
"He was using a false passport when he entered Spain and we are still not sure of his date or place of birth.
"He is wanted on allegations of major money laundering."
A police source in Ibiza added: "We know that he has been in South Africa in recent years and could have flown in from there via Madrid or Barcelona.
"He has flown from there to Ibiza and Majorca on several occasions in the past. "He was stopped by police at the airport who suspected he was travelling on a false passport.
"Checks were carried out and that proved to be the case.
"This is an internal Spanish matter at this stage and has nothing to do with extradition to Holland, the UK or any other country where he is wanted.
"At this stage he is simply being returned to Marbella where there is a warrant outstanding in relation to this multi-million money-laundering scam."

Prince of Marbella Kassar's home is in the upscale town of Marbella

Kassar's home is in the upscale town of Marbella, on Spain's southern Mediterranean coast. His home was cordoned off by police, who were searching for evidence there.
Kassar, who has Spanish residency status, was taken to the National Court in central Madrid, which handles cases of terrorism. After a closed-door hearing, a judge ordered him to be held in jail, due the U.S. charges, but Kassar also was due to be sent under police guard to his Marbella home while police continue searching the premises, said a court official .Known as the "Prince of Marbella" for his opulent lifestyle, al Kassar has been branded a "merchant of death" by authorities and is listed as No. 26 on the Iraqi government's most wanted list.

While al Kassar is not specifically charged with providing weapons to anti-U.S. factions in Iraq, the indictment does note, "Kassar has provided weapons and military equipment to such factions in Nicaragua, Brazil, Cyprus, Bosnia, Croatia, Somalia, Iran and Iraq, among other countries. Some of these factions have included known terrorists organizations, such as the Palestinian Liberation Front ("PLF"), the goals of which included attacks on United States interests and United States nationals."

Wi-fi is on the way to Marbella

Wi-fi is on the way to Marbella. The Town Hall has said that they are to set up wireless internet access in the public areas across the municipality in the next two months.

Richard Neil

has become the 6th fatality to die as a consequence of the settling of scores in Málaga province this year. The first of them was last August at The Point bar, when a 38 year old Estonian was shot dead with a single shot to the head.
Two weeks later the burnt out body of a man was found in a car in Estepona. He had also been shot. And on September 11th three Colombians were killed in the Torreblanca del Sol Urbanisation in Fuengirola, in the settling of scores over cocaine trafficking.

Aki Johannes Kujala

Aki Johannes Kujala, suspect in involvement in the White Whale case, when he declared his annual income at only 50,000 euros, while living a life of luxury and expensive style. The 41-year-old Finn, a resident on the Costa del Sol, had already been investigated by the police for money-laundering and financial crimes in his own country on various occasions, and had been convicted by a Finnish court in 1997.

Kujala held shares in a total of 21 companies, ranging from a gymnasium to real estate and audio-visual businesses. He lived a fast life-style, both figuratively and literally, owning a number of luxury cars, including Ferraris and top-of-the-range Mercedes, and was also the owner of a luxury yacht. He owned a 50 per cent stake in Gestierra, a company partly owned by Francisco Calle, brother-in-law of the former mayor of Manilva, Pedro Tirado, who was jailed two weeks ago on various counts of fraud. The Finnish connection was through a company called Royal Marbella Estates, to which the mayor of Manilva had sold his signature on a re-zoning order, favourable, of course, to the company in question. Aki Johannes Kujala had purchased a number of plots on the land which was later re-zoned.

Kujala’s partner in the Marbella gymnasium was Italian Luigi Protani, who was wanted by the Italian police for drug trafficking, and who had been arrested in Spain in 2001 and subsequently handed over to the Italians for his involvement in an international drug ring. Protani has been in prison in Rome since 2003, convicted of having taken part in the sale of 200 kilos of Venezuelan cocaine to an Italian gang.

The police also discovered that another partner in the gymnasium was Moroccan Ghali Lamrani, who lived in the same building as Kujala. Lamrani has since ended up in a Moroccan prison for his part in a drugs deal in which 350 kilos of cocaine were seized by Dutch police in Rotterdam port. Lamrani’s name was also linked to the Fun Fair Investments and Gavaid Corporation companies run by Fernando del Valle.

Lamrani was also in partnership with another Moroccan, Otham Soussi, who was tried and convicted of money-laundering, tax evasion and smuggling by the Audiencia Nacional (Central Criminal Court) in Madrid in 2002. Police investigators found that the Aki Kujala companies were paying out more than they were taking in, and could not account for the origin of this money, much of which was coming from abroad. But apart from their questionable business practice, there was also the direct relationship, both as partners and on a personal level, between them and the Marbella money-laundering network.

Marbella Club

The hotel's address Marbella Club, located in this town Malaga, yesterday sent a message of reassurance to the workers of the establishment, dissociate themselves from the records in connection with the transaction Hidalgo against money laundering, and rejecting any involvement with the case.

Thus, according to union sources indicated, in a meeting with the works council, the address of the hotel explained that the police searches conducted at its facilities throughout the day occurred in an office of the firm at the forefront of which is Rafael Cruz Conde. The same sources pointed out that this is legal counsel for the Marbella Club, as well as the popular hotel Puente Romano, also in Marbella, the two establishments belonging to the same group.

Moreover, the United Left parliamentary Andalusian by Malaga, Antonio Romero, said yesterday that operations like Malaya or Hidalgo "can extirpate the cancer of crime and money laundering on the Costa del Sol."

Mauritius Pardo, Joaquín Crespo and Amelia Berjillos

names of the detainees include three notaries in exercise: Mauritius Pardo, Joaquín Crespo and Amelia Berjillos. The last two names already appeared related to the transaction White Whale, also against money laundering, as informed sources in the investigation. However, the investigations are still under way into the hands of the magistrate number two in Marbella, As part of the investigation, were carried out searches in Marbella, including the Marbella Club Hotel, and Estepona and interventions of more than a score of properties in these localities and others in Cadiz, Madrid, Asturias, Cordoba, Lleida, Tarragona , Barcelona and Seville. Además, Moreover, 29 banks received the order of the public prosecutor's office to block balances, accounts, investment funds, charges on fixed-term investments or other securities

Cruz Conde

Nineteen of the twenty-one arrested in the operation known as "Hidalgo" against money laundering centered in Marbella still in police custody while awaiting that are brought to justice.

Police sources Efe reported today that although initially twenty-one persons were arrested, two were released, and the rest remain in the Malaga Provincial Police Station.

The police records practiced in the firm Red Conde and a luxury hotel Punta Romano in Marbella, which began yesterday morning, continued until this morning.

The Hidalgo operation against money laundering through suspending corporate account at least eight international connections and is not related to the case of Malaya.

According to Efe, reported that the police were investigating the activities of the firm , "allegedly specialized in financial engineering for laundering money from all sorts of criminal activities" and to be devoted to the creation of corporate suspending " the purpose of concealing the origin and ownership of property. "

worldwide money laundering

National Police officers on the Costa del Sol have arrested a lawyer and an Israeli administrator in connection to the "White Whale" money laundering investigation. Both men have been linked to the DV Law Firm managed by Fernando del Valle in Marbella which is alleged to have been the hub of a worldwide money laundering operation believed to have handled sums of up to €250 million on behalf of Eastern European mafia groups.

Harvey Jeffrey

A British man, Harvey Jeffrey L, arrested last Saturday as part of the "White Whale" money laundering investigation, has been jailed by judge Miguel Angel Torres after an appearance this afternoon at Marbella municipal court. His wife, who was also arrested at the weekend, was allowed to go and no charges were brought against her. Both are suspected of swindling fellow Brits out of hundreds of thousands of euros since setting up a business at the end of 2001, which is being investigated as part of a wider investigation into a money laundering operation thought to be run from the Del Valle law firm based in Marbella.

Fernando del Valle

sum of 600,000 euros has been demanded in return for the temporary freedom of Fernando del Valle in the Marbella money-laundering case which occurred last March. The family of the Chilean-born lawyer, accused of being the mastermind behind the 250 million euro fraud, are now attempting to secure the bond which will lead to his release from the prison in Albolote, Granada. His lawyer, Javier Núñez, admitted that it would not be easy raising the money, a previous attempt to win bail through presentation of his assets having been rejected. In a case regarded by many as the most significant of its kind in Spanish legal history, 50 arrests have so far been made, including a large number of multi-national, high-profile individuals, many of whom are lawyers
National Police officers on the Costa del Sol have arrested a lawyer and an Israeli administrator in connection to the "White Whale" money laundering investigation. Both men have been linked to the DV Law Firm managed by Fernando del Valle in Marbella which is alleged to have been the hub of a worldwide money laundering operation believed to have handled sums of up to €250 million on behalf of Eastern European mafia groups.

two performers had live sex on a stage in front of dignitaries

A comic fair in Spain erupted into scandal after two performers had live sex on a stage in front of dignitaries, according to reports.
Local authorities in the southern Spanish town of Granada threatened to withdraw funding from the International Comic Fair, reports the Guardian and El Pais newspapers.
Organisers "decided to enliven an awards ceremony" for comic books last Friday, reports the Guardian, by paying two actors to have sex on stage.
During the performance actors stormed the stage dressed as burka-clad women and Taleban fighters led by an Osama bin Laden lookalike, according to El Pais.
They burned pictures of icons, including the Virgin Mary and simulated the crash of jets into the World Trade Center last year, the reports added.
Two performers started having sex while others sang songs from the Spanish version of talent show Pop Idol.