Monday, 15 June 2009

Russian crime gangs on the Costa del Sol are injecting kidnap victims with what they claim is an experimental KGB virus

Russian crime gangs on the Costa del Sol are injecting kidnap victims with what they claim is an experimental KGB virus to terrify them into paying ransoms. In the latest case, four Russians told their victim that he would die within 24 hours if he did not pay them €12,000 (£10,000). But the businessman called their bluff and alerted the police, who arrested the gang. The kidnappers had seized the Russian businessman in the middle of a street last week in Estepona, a Spanish resort popular with British tourists and expatriates. They put a hood over his head and bundled him into a waiting car. After being held for two days, during which he was subjected to threats, beatings and electric shocks, he was injected with a substance which the gang claimed was an experimental virus developed by the KGB, the former Russian security service. The man was told that he would develop a fever, start sweating profusely, feel sick, then begin vomiting. Soon afterwards, they said, he would die. The businessman did start sweating and feeling sick, and the gang tried to convice him that the only way they could save him was by injecting an antidote which they possessed. When they took him to get the cash from a bank they let him slip away, believing that he would return with the money. Instead, heavily armed police surrounded them. The Spanish Organised Crime Unit arrested three men and a woman. All were Russian nationals aged between 24 and 57 and they have been charged with kidnapping, torture and possession of illegal fire arms. Police seized a mobile phone from one kidnapper, in which he had photographed the way the gang tortured the victim. Officers said that there had been a spate of kidnappings in this part of the Costa del Sol. In March, the wife and daughter of a Russian businessman were kidnapped in Estepona. The gang threatened to kill them unless the husband paid a €2 million (£1.7 million) ransom, but they were rescued within 24 hours. The Russian mafia has been gaining ground in Spain since the decade-long property boom allowed many gangs an easy outlet to launder money. But police operations have detained two leading members of Russian crime cartels in the past 12 months. Last year, Gennadios Petrov, the head of the Tambovskaya-Malyshevkaya gang, was arrested at his neo-classical mansion in Calvi, one of the most exclusive villages in Majorca. In a major operation, codenamed Troika, 20 alleged members of the organised crime organisation said to have been led by Petrov were arrested in Majorca, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia and Madrid. Police seized 23 luxury cars including Bentleys and Ferraris and €200,000 (£170,000) in cash. Last weekend, Tariel Oniani, a Georgian considered to be the No2 in the Russian criminal empire in Spain, was arrested in Moscow. In 2005, Oniani fled his mansion near Barcelona after a tip-off from a corrupt Spanish official on the eve of a major police operation against Russian crime gangs. He is expected to face charges of laundering illicit cash obtained from criminal activities in Russia into property, restaurants and car sales in Spain.

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Amy Fitzpatrick drinking coffee in a cafe in a petrol station about 15 miles from her home in Spain, a few days after she went missing on January 1


Spanish police investigating the disappearance of a Dublin teenager will be asked to examine a claim that she was seen two or three days after she vanished.A man said he saw Dubliner Amy Fitzpatrick drinking coffee in a cafe in a petrol station about 15 miles from her home in Spain, a few days after she went missing on January 1 last year.George O'Neill, a builder who lives in the town of Coin in southern Spain, had contacted Spanish police after he saw photographs of the missing girl as an intensive search got under way after her disappearance.He told them he saw a girl closely resembling the 15-year-old buying cigarettes in the cafe around January 3 or 4 last year. He never heard anything back from the police about his claim. He has now decided to go public about his report.The girl's mother, Audrey Fitzpatrick, said she would ask the Spanish police at her next monthly meeting with officers to tell her about Mr O'Neill's claims that he saw a girl resembling Amy at the filling station. She felt they should re-examine his claim. Audrey and her partner Dave Mahon have spent the past 18 months seeking to publicise the search for her missing daughter. Helicopters and police sniffer dogs conducted intensive searches of the countryside around Calahonda in the Costa del Sol after Amy's disappearance, but no trace of her was ever found.She vanished after leaving a friend's house to walk about a mile to her home in Calahonda on the night of New Year's Day.Spanish-based Audrey has put up posters throughout the region in the hope that someone might have seen her missing daughter. She has given a large number of interviews as she hopes to maintain a public awareness about Amy.Amy's father, Christopher Fitzpatrick, who lives in Dublin, has hired a private detective in a bid to uncover any leads that might help solve the mystery of her disappearance.Dublin comedian Dave Young will give a fundraising performance for the search for Amy at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Dublin on June 19.

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Martin Hickman, 49, of Marbella, made £6m profit over four years selling fake and unlicensed Viagra-like prescription drugs.

Martin Hickman, 49, of Marbella, made £6m profit over four years selling fake and unlicensed Viagra-like prescription drugs. He was jailed for three months in 2007 for failing to close the websites, but just weeks later the M.E.N revealed how he was continuing to trade from behind bars.
The cash funded a lavish lifestyle including a £500,000 country home, a £2.4m Chelsea flat and a home in Marbella.
His Range Rover had a personalised number plate with his initials on and his Bentley had the number plate 'L13 RGE'.
Between 2003 and 2007 Hickman, a former businessman who was made bankrupt in 1998 after being jailed for 10 months for conspiracy to trade in steroids, pocketed £3.4m himself running the enterprise from his farmhouse in Lily Lanes, Ashton under Lyne. He later moved his factory to a nearby office above a shop in Market Avenue. But experts say he was playing 'Russian roulette' with his customers' health. He was caught out selling the fake and unlicensed drugs on his MSH World Traders website after a tip-off triggered a four-year probe by the government department Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Hickman was sentenced to three months in jail and fined £20,000 for contempt of court in April 2007 after he became the first retailer in Britain to be convicted of failing to abide by a High Court injunction to close the illegal websites.
But within days of going to jail, the M.E.N ordered Kamagra tablets - a generic and cheaper version of Viagra - from his company's website. investigator was sent a batch of 'Lovegra' tablets, which is another name for Kamagra. We bought eight tablets and were given another eight 'free' at a total cost of £32 plus £5 postage and packaging. Hickman's website offered a wide range of 'erectile dysfunction' medication and boasted there were no prescription, consultation or administration charges. It is believed that most of the medicines he sold were produced in India.
The website offered to supply a maximum of three months' medication in one order.Experts say that if the drugs are taken without an initial assessment by a GP, users run the risk of suffering serious side effects - including a heart attack.
Hickman is due to be sentenced today (Monday June 8th) at Southwark Crown Court in London after pleading guilty to six charges of selling and supplying counterfeit and unlicensed medicines and money laundering the sum of £1.4m. The M.E.N test purchase was one of the offences Hickman pleaded guilty to. He has already paid about £1m in an out of court settlement after civil action against him by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. A MHRA spokesman said: "There is a risk to public health because when you buy these products via the internet you do not know where they have been manufactured, how they have been stored and what the true content of the medicines are. "Tablets could have the correct basic ingredient but also be contaminated with other substances. "Prescription drugs have significant risks and possible adverse affects if used improperly - without patient's first having a consultation with their GP." Mick Deats, MHRA Head of Enforcement, said: "We have people with no medical qualification whatsoever running websites and running multi-million pounds businesses. "It is a really risky practice to turn to the internet for your medicines. People often use the internet to buy these drugs because they are too embarrassed to go to their doctor or because they wouldn't be prescribed them. And if something goes wrong that could mean they are more reluctant to seek treatment."
MHRA officers did a test purchase from his MSH website and officers raided his home.
They found various erectile dysfunction drugs plus orders, cash, cheques and customer lists. Hickman was interviewed in August and December 2005 but said he was just running a call centre and doing nothing illegal. His website at the time was registered in Germany with an internet service provider - outside the MHRA jurisdiction. But in March 2006 the agency did another test purchase and bought a multi-pack of drugs which included counterfeit Viagra - which is made under licence by Pfizer. A High Court injunction was issued in September 2006 ordering him to shut down the websites but he failed to do so and was jailed in April 2007.
The following month the M.E.N investigated Hickman and made the test purchase.
In August 2007 Hickman's assets were restrained under the Proceeds of Crime Act - including bank accounts, his house, and cars. And the MHRA continued to pursue him because he continued to trade. In January 2008 he appeared in court at the City of London Magistrates Court and was committed to Crown Court in April. 2008. He pleaded guilty to six charges in March this year.

British man arrested ,a 32-year-old Albox resident for allegedly breaking into a house by forcing open the front door

Guardia Civil arrested a 32-year-old Albox resident for allegedly breaking into a house by forcing open the front door. When officers were called out for a possible burglary in progress they arrived at the home to find the front door open, showing clear signs of having been forced. Once inside, officers found three people, two men and a woman. One of them – who appeared to be drunk – was man-handling a woman trying to convince her to leave with him. The man was her ex-partner.It turns out that the when the drunk man was refused entry to the couple’s home, he kicked the door open. He was remanded in custody and charged with breaking and entering.

Karim Pascal Reguig, also known as Karim el Grande, Pascal ‘le Turbulant’ or ‘The Turbulent’

Karim Pascal Reguig, also known as Karim el Grande, Pascal ‘le Turbulant’ or ‘The Turbulent’, is well-known to the police as a key French-Algerian organised crime member based on the Costa del Sol. He has allegedly been involved in a war between French-Algerian crime organizations that over the past 12 years has claimed the life of 20 people on both sides.A few months ago he almost died after someone threw a broken bottle at him, causing a deep gash in his neck during a massive brawl which broke out in a Marbella nightclub. Eleven years ago he dodged death after he was delayed leaving an Estepona sauna where two hitmen where waiting outside to kill him.
The short-tempered 44-year-old has a criminal record in France dating back to 1994 for being the alleged leader behind an armed robbery in Paris. In 1999 he was arrested for assaulting an officer, document forgery and drug trafficking. In 2003 he was again arrested in Italy in the New Palma police operation that effectively dismantled a drug trafficking network and resulted in the seizure of 100 kilograms of cocaine. However, he managed to walk free due to a legal technicality. The authorities confirm that they have known since January this year that the alleged criminal had returned to the Costa del Sol where he was linked to money laundering and the control of various late night venues in Marbella.The dispute between French crime organizations on the Costa del Sol dates back to October 5, 1996 in Marbella when an alleged mafia don, Jean Pierre Grangeon and his wife Catherine Isabelle Castagna were riddled with up to 40 AK-47 bullets by three masked gunmen dressed in black at the Las Lomas villa.During the three weeks following the double murder, the police arrested several people and searched a number of homes. One of these was the home of Nordine Benali, ‘The Flea’, a French-Algerian that had hid one of the bullet casings used in the murder. ‘The Flea’ managed to escape capture.On October 5, 1997, on the first anniversary of Grangeon and his wife’s murder, Kamel Berkani, Sumo and his friend Benallel Belkacem were critically injured in an ambush as they left the Cesar Palace located at El Paraiso Urbanization in Estepona. At the time, his friend Reguig was inside the sauna. Police think that this was what saved his life. The hit was believed to be a revenge attack for the double murder a year earlier. After the shooting, Reguig left Spain to spend time in Italy and France.On December 17, 1999 the 39-year-old Algerian, Djamel Benali, was gunned down in Fuengirola. The hit men called him on the intercom at his Avenida Romeria del Rocio apartment. When he went down one of the two men emptied the magazine of a pistol on Benali, killing him. Benali was the brother of Nordine Benali, ‘The Flea’.The Flea was killed on October 5, 2001, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the Grangeon murders. He was shot as he walked down Calle Tortola accompanied by two family members in Los Pajaritos neighbourhood of Sevilla. Two men got out of a car, shot him and sped off. The 47-year-old victim sustained three bullet wounds that killed him. The authorities put the incident down to a simple revenge attack between criminals. He had been extradited to France the year before where at the time of his death; he was awaiting a trial for murder.The Grangeon murders triggered a tit-for-tat killing spree between French-Algerian gangs based in Spain that has so far claimed 20 lives in Spain and France. These French-Algerian mafia organizations are linked to large scale drug trade and high class prostitution on the Costa del Sol.

Friday, 12 June 2009

George Lavery, aged 42, was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay £5,500 in compensation. John Hamilton,was sentenced to 2 and a half

George Lavery, aged 42, from Clapham Common in London was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay £5,500 in compensation. John Hamilton, aged 51, from St Leonards in Sussex was sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison and ordered to pay £4,500 in compensation. Neither of them were present at the sentencing so warrants have been issued to trace them.Lavery, formerly of High Street in Berkhamsted at the time of the offence, works as a psychic medium and had been contacted by the victim, who wanted to contact a girlfriend after their relationship had broken down. Lavery, also known as Simon Lavery, told the victim that he could help him rebuild
the relationship.Lavery and Hamilton then contacted the victim pretending to be the ex girlfriend via a mobile phone the victim had bought for them. They persuaded him to part with thousands of pounds of money under the pretext of a wedding between the man and his ex girlfriend. This included an engagement ring.The victim, a man from Watford, eventually realised that he had been defrauded when he saw the mobile phone he had bought at Lavery's house. He then contacted the ex girlfriend on her usual mobile number, but she knew nothing of the wedding. The offence took place between October 1 2007 and 2 June 2008.Lavery and Hamilton were found guilty in their absence today after originally pleading not guilty in September 2008 to fraud by false representation.Detective Constable Phil Freebrey, the officer in the case, said: "These are robust and positive sentences for a cruel and callous crime against a man who was at a vulnerable time in his life."It is unusual for offenders to be sentenced in their absence. We would strongly urge anyone who has seen either of these men to get in touch so they can now serve their sentences and pay the compensation."It is possible they could be in the London or Sussex areas where they come from, Gibraltar where Lavery was due to hold an event on June 9, the Costa del Sol where there was an event on June 11."I am also keen to hear from anyone else who thinks they may have been defrauded by these two individuals. We would ask them to get in touch so we can investigate."

Monday, 8 June 2009

Polaris World property developer based in the region, is in talks to reduce its debt by handing over some of its property assets to the banks

Murcia newspaper, La Verdad, reports today that the Polaris World property developer based in the region, is in talks to reduce its debt by handing over some of its property assets to the banks it is in debt to.The company is reported to have taken on loans totalling nearly 900 million € over recent years and is reported to now be offering both land and housing to the banks.The newspaper reports that if the talks are successful the company could clear its debt to leave it in a good position for the future. The main banks concerned are Bancaja, CAM, Banco Popular, Banco de Valencia and Cajamurcia.Given the collapse in the British market for homes in the region, Polaris World has recently concentrated its promotions on the Spanish market.

Tuesday, 2 June 2009

Judges in Málaga say they will support strike action on June 26

Judges in Málaga say they will support strike action on June 26 if the final call to do so comes from their union. The judges in the city consider that the advances made in talks with the Ministry for Justice to be ‘insufficient’. A further stoppage is reported to have 90% support.The last 24 hour stoppage was on February 18 this year as the judges protest against what they consider to be a serious lack of resources.

Deborah Hatto, from Crawley, was stabbed to death as she slept in her apartment in Coin, near Malaga, Spain, last June.

Deborah Hatto, from Crawley, was stabbed to death as she slept in her apartment in Coin, near Malaga, Spain, last June.The mother's blood-soaked body was found in bed by her 10-year-old daughter after she was stabbed as she slept. Her German boyfriend Jimmie Willis, who was described as “cold and calculating” by forensic psychologists, has been found guilty of her murder. Ms Hatto's daughter, who was just ten at the time, told a Costa Del Sol court via video link how she discovered her mother's lifeless body on the eve of her 42nd birthday. Forensic scientists, who examined her body, said there was no sign of a struggle and Ms Hatto was most likely asleep in bed when she received the single fatal stab wound. The murder weapon was discovered next to the mother’s body. Officers from Spain's Guardia Civil said Willis, 60, originally from Frankfurt, had claimed he struck because "he couldn't take it any more." They also said they found traces of her blood on his neck, behind his ear. The Scientific Police of Madrid stated that the wound inflicted on the victim coincided with the knife found at the side of the bed. But in court, Willis said the biological father of Ms Hatto's daughter was responsible for the killing - a claim that was rejected by the court. Willis' lawyers also tried to persuade the jury of five women and four men that he should be charged with unlawful killing with extenuating circumstances. A public prosecutor called for him to receive a 15 year sentence for unlawful killing, but the jury agreed with Javier Florido Martin, representing Ms Hatto's family who said the charge should be murder. Mr Martin said: “I maintained from the outset that this was a matter of murder and not unlawful killing. “The forensic psychiatrists stated that Jimmie Willis was in a perfect mental state, that he was not clinically insane and that he knew perfectly well what he was doing. “The forensic psychologist - in response to questions asked by the prosecution – described Jimmie Willis as 'cold and calculating', 'insensitive' and 'with no remorse whatsoever'. “The jury reached a verdict and declared the accused guilty of murder with no extenuating circumstances. They were 100% in agreement with the family.”

Keen traveller Ms Hatto, grew up in Horsham and moved from Crawley to Spain with her daughter three years before she was brutally killed.

Willis is due to be sentenced next week.

Salvador Alberto M.M.has been charged with the murder of his ex girlfriend


Salvador Alberto M.M.has been charged with the murder of his ex girlfriend, Isabel Canino Rivero, whose body was found on May 20 in the septic tank of the accused’s home.It comes after he gave a statement to the judge on Sunday, with the judge then enforcing reporting restrictions.The victim had been missing for some two months.

Monday, 1 June 2009

New bylaws introduced in Tossa de Mar near Girona have banned sex on the beach.

New bylaws introduced in Tossa de Mar near Girona have banned sex on the beach. Those caught face a 400 – 1,800 € fine from Monday.Many youngsters, and those not so young, are protesting against the new regulations which they consider to be exaggerated, and which also ban alcohol and stag night parties on the sand. Protests are being organised over the internet, and some local buildings now show graffiti which says in English ‘Sex on the beach’.

Spanish bullfighter Israel Lancho was seriously gored by the sixth bull as the San Isidro fiesta continued in Madrid on Wednesday.


Spanish bullfighter Israel Lancho was seriously gored by the sixth bull as the San Isidro fiesta continued in Madrid on Wednesday. He reached the bullring surgery conscious but is now said to be in a very serious condition in hospital after being gored 20cms deep at great speed upwards in the chest. Doctor Máximo García Padrós operated on him in the bullring surgery under general anaesthetic.The matador is now in a very serious condition in the Clinica Virgen del Mar in the Spanish capital.

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