Spanish resident convicted of drug smuggling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Jack McGill on the run from Spanish police after skipping bail following his arrest with Harrison in October 2006.

Ex-drug dealer Jack McGill’s body was discovered hanged in woodland, it emerged yesterday. McGill, 52, had been on the run from Spanish police after skipping bail following his arrest with Harrison in October 2006. They were accused of attacking two men in Malaga. The uncle spent five months on remand in jail before bail was posted – while his ex-WBO featherweight champ nephew was freed within weeks. McGill’s body was found in Glasgow. Last night a source said: “He felt abandoned by the Harrison camp.” The fighter, 30, who hails from the city, denies assault and will stand trial in Spain in September.

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Banesto corruption allegations

Former International Monetary Fund head Rodrigo Rato appeared before a judge Tuesday probing corruption allegations at Spanish bank Banesto whilst he was economy minister, Spanish media said. Rato, his brother Ramon, the head of Santander bank Emilio Botin and 12 others are being investigated in connection with the 1999 purchase by Banesto of 45.3 percent of the Aguas de Fuensanta water utility company from the Rato family.In his one-hour appearance, Rato, who was economy minister in the conservative government at the time, denied wrongdoing and said he was not aware of the details of sale, Spanish media said, quoting lawyers at the hearing.The judge opened his probe following a complaint filed by a Santander and Banesto shareholder.The complaint said Banesto, a subsidiary of the Santander bank, bought the stake in Aguas de Fuensanta from the Rato family even though the water utility was "technically bankrupt" in the hope of "obtaining favours" from the economy minister.Rato stepped down as head of the IMF last year after more than three years in the job.

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Three Spanish nationals and ten Moroccans between the ages of 18 and 51, were arrested on Thursday

Police in Spain said Sunday they had smashed a drug trafficking ring with the arrest of 13 mostly Moroccan men in Barcelona and the seizure of narcotics worth 41,000 euros (64,000 dollars), AFP informed.
The 13, three Spanish nationals and ten Moroccans between the ages of 18 and 51, were arrested on Thursday following an investigation that lasted several months, police said in a statement.
"The operation remains open and more detentions have not been ruled out," it said.
Police seized cocaine worth 5,000 euros and hashish worth 36,000 euros, as well as scales and tools to prepare the drugs, and machetes and fake guns during searches of five homes.
Spain, with its extensive southern coastline, is Europe's main entry point for Moroccan hashish and cocaine from South America, mostly from its former colony Colombia, the world's biggest producer of the drug.

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Isabel García, the wife of Santiago del Valle, the man accused of the killing of the five year old girl from Huelva

Isabel García, the wife of Santiago del Valle, the man accused of the killing of the five year old girl from Huelva, Mari Luz Cortés, suffered a nervous attack while declaring before Instruction Court 1 in Huelva about the case. The extent of her indisposition was such that the hearing had to be suspended.She arrived at Huelva Provincial Court at 4,45pm yesterday evening and was first subjected to a forensic investigation to determine her mental health. When she was then taken before the judge she suffered the attack and an ambulance had to be called, which finally took her shouting and crying to the hospital at the Sevilla – II jail. She has been held in the psychiatric wing of the prison since the start of April, where she is serving an outstanding 15 month prison sentence for failing to report the sexual abuse her husband carried out on their own five year old daughter.
When and how the case continues is now in the hands of the judge.

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British man has been arrested in Spain in connection with rape offences

A British man has been arrested in Spain in connection with rape offences committed in south-east London, police have said.The 49-year-old is accused of raping the same victim repeatedly over a number of years. Sources named the man as Ricky Devine. He was held in Alicante on the Costa del Sol earlier this month.He is being held under a European Arrest warrant and faces extradition to the UK. The offences are alleged to have taken place in Bexley from 2000. A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Spanish police arrested a 49-year-old British man on suspicion of rape on May 9."

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stag party-goers Bus driver arrested during the early hours after a positive breath test

The 45 year old driver of a bus carrying a party of nineteen stag party-goers was arrested during the early hours of yesterday morning after a positive breath test at a routine police control, leaving his passengers to make their own way back to Sevilla city-centre on foot. The man was stopped at around 4.30am on the SE-30 near the Tablada/ exhibition centre exit.
He was taken into custody after officers also discovered that his licence had already been confiscated, and jailed following a preliminary court hearing yesterday.

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