Spate of robberies from chemist’s shops 20 people arrested

Police have arrested 20 people in Malaga, as part of ‘Operacion Reja’, on suspicion of carrying out a series of robberies. The police operation was launched last month after the province suffered a spate of robberies from chemist’s shops. Out of the 20 arrests, 11 were for aggravated burglarly with a firearm and nine for robbery using a lethal weapon. The last three arrests took place last week. The detainees are also suspected of having robbed a hairdressing salon.

Polish drug dealers, who headed a gang, were detained within the so-called ‘Scorpio action,’ when police rooted out the main amphetamine distribution

Two Poles detained in Malaga, southern Spain, in 2007, on charges of drug trafficking and crimes committed against social welfare will face over 23 years in prison. The Poles were sentenced in Spanish courts today.The convicts will also have to pay penalties - the first of them amounting to 750,000 euro and the second 150,000 euro.The Polish drug dealers, who headed a gang, were detained within the so-called ‘Scorpio action,’ when police rooted out the main amphetamine distribution plant on Costa del Sol, southern Spain in 2007. The men were found to have in their car a bag with 10,000 ecstasy pills. When the men’s homes were searched for drugs, it turned out there were some 60,000 more pills there.The Poles also frequented public houses, where they established connections with other drug traffickers. Their cars, stolen in other European countries, had forged license plates.

Christopher Wiggins, of Apartment Six, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Cancelada, Estepona, Malaga

Christopher Wiggins (42)Philip Doo (52), and David Mufford (44) were brought before a special sitting of Clonakilty District Court on Saturday night amid tight security. A force of up to 30 gardaí, including detectives armed with Uzi submachine guns, surrounded the courthouse.The three men, all from Britain, were charged that on November 5th, 2008, on the vessel Dances with Waves , a ship not registered in any country or territory, they had possession of cocaine knowing it was intended to be imported illegally.The offence, which is contrary to Section 34 (2) (4) of the Criminal Justice Drugs Trafficking Act 1994, carries a maximum penalty upon conviction at Circuit Court level of a a fine or seven years in jail or both.
Det Garda Ronan Cowley of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Doo, of Rocklands House, Higher Manor Road, Brixham, Devon, and told the court that Mr Doo did not wish to reply to the charge after caution.Det Garda David Kennedy of the Garda National Drugs Unit gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution in relation to Mr Wiggins, of Apartment Six, Block 10, Mirador de Costalita, Cancelada, Estepona, Malaga.He said Mr Wiggins made no reply to the charge.

Michael Dermot McArdle found guilty of his wife’s manslaughter by Malaga court .

The jury of nine voted by a majority of 7 to 2 to convict the 39-year-old Dundalk father of causing the death of his wife Kelly-Anne Corcoran during a heated argument on the evening of February 11th 2000, the day the family arrived on holiday on the Costa del Sol. After deliberating for more than one day, the jurors delivered their verdict shortly before lunchtime in Malaga Criminal Court, with members of both families present. The jury found that, as the argument escalated, McArdle pushed his wife on the balcony of their hotel room, causing her to fall over the rails.
However, it did not believe that he intended to kill her and cleared him of the murder charge brought by a private prosecutor acting on behalf of the Corcoran family. Michael Dermot McArdle faces a sentence of up to 4 years in jail after being found guilty of his wife’s manslaughter by a court in Malaga.In a very detailed statement, in which reference was repeatedly made to the formal list of questions the judge issued to the jurors yesterday, the jury foreman explained that on the basis of the evidence submitted, the jury believed that McArdle “did not set out deliberately to kill his wife” and therefore it could no convict him of her murder.
However, it also rejected as “highly implausible” the defendant’s version that Kelly-Ann tripped and fell to her death in trying to prevent their son from leaning over the rail. The jury was satisfied that the reconstruction of the fall by police and forensic experts had showed that she could not have fallen over the rail on her own as alleged by the defence. In a brief statement, read on the courthouse steps following the verdict, Ms Corcoran’s family expressed its gratitude to authorities and police in both Spain and Ireland “for bringing Mr McArdle to justice”.
Spokesman Peter Moran, Kelly-Ann’s brother-in-law, said that there were “no winners in this terrible situation”. McArdle left the court with his family after the judge turned down a prosecution request for him to be remanded in prison until sentence is passed in approximately 10 days.

Michael 'Dermot' McArdle was given the chance of escaping jail in a plea bargain deal moments before his murder trial started.

Michael 'Dermot' McArdle was given the chance of escaping jail in a plea bargain deal moments before his murder trial started.State prosecutor Carlos Yanez offered Mr McArdle the sweetener of a two-year-prison sentence if he admitted killing wife Kelly-Anne eight years ago in a Spanish hotel room.Jail sentences of two years or less are automatically suspended in Spain in cases where defendants have no criminal records.The nine Spanish jurors set to decide Mr McArdle's fate will be taken to a secret destination tomorrow to start their deliberations. They can deliver one of three verdicts; manslaughter as sought by the Spanish state prosecutor, murder which has been urged by lawyers acting for the family of the dead woman or acquittal.

Verdict Michael Dermot McArdle is expected tomorrow.

verdict in the case of Michael Dermot McArdle, the Irish man who is accused of throwing his wife to her death from a Marbella hotel balcony in 2000 is expected tomorrow.After a week of evidence the case concluded in Málaga’s Provincial Court on Saturday with the final statement from the 39 year old accused who insisted that he did not kill his 28 year wife Kelly-Anne.
He told the court that she tripped and fell over the balcony as she tried to stop their toddler son from climbing on the railing.
He made his plea to the jury through an interpreter and rejected claims from other witnesses in the case that his marriage had been a violent and troubled one. He also is reported to have refused a plea-bargain, insisting on his innocence.
The state prosecutor has however reduced the charge from murder to reckless manslaughter after contradictions were noticed in some of the witnesses' declarations, and at 10am this morning the jury will be given a list of questions which they have to consider before issuing their verdict.

military planes breaking the sound barrier have been revealed to be the cause of two loud explosions

Two military planes breaking the sound barrier have been revealed to be the cause of two loud explosions heard at 0940am this morning in Málaga and along parts of the Costa del Sol, especially in Torremolinos and Fuengirola.There was a fair amount of panic in the city as people feared that some sort of terrorist attack may have taken place.The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that two military planes on exercises were responsible.

Mystery Blasts in Malaga

Two loud blasts have jolted the southern Spanish holiday resort of Malaga this morning - but baffled police said there was no sign of any explosion."They were heard practically all over Malaga. People are saying that it came from different places, but we haven't been able to find anything," a spokeswoman for the local police said.Spanish radio reported that a jet breaking the sound barrier might have caused the blasts, which rattled the city just days after the government blamed Basque rebels ETA for a bombing offensive in northern Spain.

Victor Posse Navas,killer of a Liverpool man stabbed to death in Spain is likely to be jailed for nine years.

killer of a Liverpool man stabbed to death in Spain is likely to be jailed for nine years.Builder Gary Dunne, from West Derby, was attacked with a machete in the Costa Del Sol by Victor Posse Navas, in March, 2006.At Malaga High Court yesterday, the parents of the 22-year-old were advised to accept an offer of nine years behind bars.
Gary’s parents, Lesley and Stephen Dunne, are furious and want Navas jailed for longer.Gary’s family are also fighting a battle to bring his body home.Spanish authorities say that, for hygiene reasons, Mr Dunne must be cremated first before his ashes can be taken home.

Mayor atención para prostitutas del Poligono Guadalhorce

Jeffrey Michael O'Shaughnessy is alleged strangler of a woman in a lift

Jeffrey Michael O'Shaughnessy (32), from Limerick, is alleged to have indecently assaulted the woman in a lift, before trying to strangle her as she attempted to escape. The 45-year-old Spaniard was on her way to work in a law firm, when the alleged attack happened on Wednesday morning in Malaga on the Costa del Sol.
She has told police that Mr O'Shaughnessy followed her into the lift as she headed to the lawyer's office where she works, grabbed her by the neck and indecently assaulted her. Colleagues heard her cries for help as the lift reached the third floor of the building in central Malaga – and have told detectives they raced out to find the Irishman trying to strangle her with one hand and forcing her mouth shut to stifle her screams with the other. A police patrol which was near the scene arrived minutes later to take O'Shaughnessy away in handcuffs. The alleged victim has told investigators she had never seen the Irishman before. Today O’Shaughnessy was in custody pending a court appearance before an investigating judge who is now probing the incident. The court hearing will be closed to the press and the public and is expected to conclude with O'Shaughnessy's remand in custody. A spokesman for Malaga's National Police said: “A 32-year-old Irishman is currently being held in custody on suspicion of indecent assault and attempted murder.” A source added: “If it had not been for this woman's colleagues hearing her screams and coming to her aid, we could have had a murder on our hands.
“The attack took place in daylight in a public place. It defies logical explanation.
“We're not sure if the attacker had been following his victim or was an opportunist who struck when he got his chance. “An investigating judge will now try to get to the bottom of what has happened.”

Nine people were injured when an apparently mentally unstable driver deliberately drove into a pedestrian zone in the southern Spanish city of Malaga

Nine people were injured when an apparently mentally unstable driver deliberately drove into a pedestrian zone in the southern Spanish city of Malaga, police said Saturday.They said the 50-year-old kept driving through the Costa del Sol city's busy precinct until officers stopped him. The injured included two Italian and two German tourists.Nine people were injured and two German and Italian women tourists, aged 62 and 42, are in a critical condition in hospital after a driver, a 42 year old man from Alhaurín el Grande, named with the initials A.B.M., took his black Rover car down the pedestrianised central Calle Larios in Málaga on Saturday just before noon, it seems by error. All the other injured are recovering well. Witnesses say the driver went down the street and then reversed back. He has been arrested by the National Police after his way was blocked by a refuse lorry and public pounced on the car to get him to come out. He is being attended to by a psychologist after giving a statement to police which reports indicate ‘lacked sense’.

Lewis Hamiltons driver was cleaning the wing mirrors when two men ran up to the open boot and pinched a rucksack and leather holdall

The World Championship leader was leaving the Malaga Palacio on the Costa del Sol with girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger, of music group Pussycat Dolls, when two men snatched a pair of bags from their car."Lewis's driver was cleaning the wing mirrors when two men ran up to the open boot and pinched a rucksack and leather holdall," an onlooker told the English media."The one carrying the rucksack dropped it but the other guy kept hold of his."Hamilton, 23, had attended an MTV concert in Malaga at which Scherzinger, 30, performed.The Formula One season resumes after a break this weekend with the European GP in Valencia. Hamilton is five points clear of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the drivers' standings.

Francis Smith, who now lives in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, is charged with conspiring to distribute 1.234 tonnes of cannabis,

Francis Smith, who now lives in Malaga, on the Costa del Sol, is charged with conspiring to distribute 1.234 tonnes of cannabis, seized in a random stop on the A45 near Ryton-upon-Dunsmore.A British ex-pat living in Spain has been charged in connection with a £2.7 million drugs bust in Ryton.Stunned police found 5,000 blocks of cannabis resin when they pulled over a white Iveco van in February 2006.
Stockton man Roy Selby, 42, was jailed for two-and-a-half years in August 2006 after pleading guilty to possessing the cannabis with intent to supply it.It is alleged there is evidence linking Smith to the packages of cannabis seized from Selby's van. Selby had initially claimed he thought he had been carrying furniture.When he was jailed, Judge Marten Coates said he accepted the driver, who was to be paid £500 for making the delivery, was "at the bottom of the food chain".Smith, 56, appeared for a preliminary hearing at Warwick Crown Court where it was indicated he would deny ther charge.The case was adjourned until May and Smith remanded in custody.

National Police in Malaga city said firearms were taking over from knives as the weapon most used to commit crimes nine shootouts 20 armed robberies

Coín’s Local Police made 70 arrests during the month of April, double the monthly average of 30 to 30 and the largest number in the force’s history. Just under two thirds of the arrests were made in the town itself. The rest were made in Alhaurin el Grance, Guaro, Monda and Tolox, which come under Coín’s jurisdiction. Most of the arrests involved robbery, followed by drug trafficking. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Police in Malaga city said firearms were taking over from knives as the weapon most used to commit crimes. He said there had been nine shootouts and more than 20 robberies at gun point since the beginning of the year.

Argentinian shot in Malaga house robbery

Argentinian man, has been injured after being shot twice in the leg. It happened in a house in Calle Cómpeta in Málaga yesterday afternoon at 2pm according to the EFE news agency.The victim was taken to the Clínico hospital, and police have recovered the firearm used and opened an investigation.The victim says that he did not know the two attackers, who shot him when he answered the door. The attackers, who are also thought to be Latin American, then robbed the victim’s home.

The Blue wig robber hits Malaga Banks

Malaga banks were hit in the space of five minutes by a man in a blue wig last week. Witnesses say an individual burst into a branch of Unicaja in Malaga on Tuesday morning, brandishing a shotgun. He was dressed in sunglasses, a green jacket and a blue wig according to the two customers and three members of staff in the bank at the time. Although the gun appeared to be fake, employees handed over the contents of the till to the intruder, who fled the scene. Just five minutes later police received a call from an office of Banesto on the Calle Frigilana. Two men, one of whom fitted the description of the robber in Unicaja, allegedly threatened staff with a sawn-off shotgun.But the second robbery did not go as planned. They escaped with a grand total of just under 40 euros before making a getaway on a motorbike. Witnesses say the robbers attacked a 30-year-old man who needed medical treatment as a result.

Allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire

allegedly set a taxi belonging to his ex father-in-law on fire, a 33-year-old man was arrested by National Police. Another car which was parked next to the burning vehicle in the Cortijo de Torres area of Malaga was also affected by the flames.
According to police sources, the accused was sentenced to two years in jail in 2006 after he set on fire his ex-wife’s car. A witness claimed that a man - fitting the description of the suspect – was seen carrying a plastic bag and what looked like a gas cylinder in the area near to where the taxi was parked just minutes before the fire. National Police sources say the arrested man has a restraining order in force against him preventing him from contacting his ex-wife.

Pensionista robbed bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado

Prosecutors are asking for two and a half years in jail for a retired man accused of robbing a bank in Calle Martinez Maldonado, Malaga, when they refused to give him his pension in advance. He allegedly went up to a bank teller and pretended to be holding a gun under a folder. According to the employee, he then told her to give him all the money or he would shoot. He managed to escape with 4,065 euros, telling the employee that if she moved or called anyone he would kill her. The accused was arrested some time afterwards, but the money was not recovered. Prosecutors are also demanding that he pay the amount stolen back to the bank in compensation.

Two armed robberies in Malaga

Police in Málaga are investigating two armed robberies which took place in different parts of the city on Tuesday morning, both of them shortly before 10 am. The first assault was at a branch of Unicaja on Camino del Suárez, and involved one suspect, Diario Sur reports.Two suspects armed with a sawn-off shotgun carried out the second robbery on Calle Frigiliana, where the target on this occasion was a branch of the Banesto bank. The newspaper said the thieves fled the scene on a moped.There were no reports of any injuries in either of the two robberies, nor of the amount stolen.