One of the three Brits slaughtered recently was found washed up on a Spanish beach wrapped in clingfilm and with an anchor tied to his neck.

DANNY SMITH was basking in the Spanish evening sun and downing beers outside a bar near Marbella, a known bolthole for ex-pat criminals evading UK authorities. Laughing with pals and nodding to the gentle house music, he didn't notice two men pull up on a motorbike wearing full-face helmets with blacked-out visors.

The passenger calmly pulled a gun from his belt, aimed at Smith and unloaded six rounds into his face.

Killed ... Danny Smith

Three of them hit their target, killing Smith and spattering blood across petrified drinkers diving for cover at The Lounge bar.

The assassins sped off in a cloud of dust. One man is now in custody.

Smith, 24, was wanted by British authorities for an attempted murder in Essex in 2007.

He had been successfully lying low in Spain, working as a builder by day and drinking with fellow ex-pat criminals by night.

In the end it wasn't the law that caught up with him.

This sounds like a plot straight out of gangster movies such as Sexy Beast or The Business, but this gangland assassination took place earlier this month in the Spanish town of Riviera, a resort which attracts families and holidaymakers, but also a far more sinister clientele.

Anchor

Smith is the THIRD Brit to be murdered on the Costa del Sol within just seven weeks - sobering proof that the Costa del Crime is still very much alive.

Scene of shooting ... The Lounge in Marbella

For a while it appeared problems had died down in Spain, as British fugitives began being picked up in places such as Amsterdam and Eastern Europe.

But now, as Spain emerges as a gateway into Europe for cocaine and cannabis shipped from West Africa, UK criminals are being lured to the nightlife-filled Costa del Sol in greater numbers than ever - and they are going to war over territory.

Since 2007, rival factions have been fighting to get control of the multi-billion-pound smuggling operation.

Life is cheap, and the stakes are much higher than on home soil. Gangs driven by a lust for money and notoriety are killing rivals over nothing more than arguments.

One of the three Brits slaughtered recently was found washed up on a Spanish beach wrapped in clingfilm and with an anchor tied to his neck.

Sources say he had "upset the wrong people".

Spanish authorities are yet to release his name.

Gunned down ... Sun's Nick shows bullethole in wall where Danny Smith was shot

The other, Paul Feathers, 32, was tortured in front of his girlfriend in his Benalmadena apartment. He had his ear hacked off and nose slashed and was then stabbed to death.

He is said to have messed up a heist by being caught by police changing the number plates on his car.

On the evening Danny Smith was shot he had argued with some Irishmen in the Lounge bar. As they left, one of them was heard to tell him: "I'll be back for you."

While The Sun was in Spain the brother of the gunman is said to have visited The Lounge bar and threatened to kill anyone who gives evidence.

When we approached staff and holidaymakers in Riviera we were told only one thing: "It would be best if you leave extremely quickly and never come back."

Outside The Lounge bunches of flowers flutter in the Mediterranean breeze in tribute to "Tall Danny".

A spokesman for Spain's Civil Guard said the killing had "the hallmarks of a gangland settling of scores".

Yet while authorities voice concern over the return of the Costa del Crime, those connected to the ex-pat underworld say it never went away.

Disley land ... 'King of Marbella' John with girlfriend Lucy Hesketh

John Disley, 43, is a Bolton-born businessman who has been travelling to Spain for 14 years.

Dubbed the "King of Marbella", he knows everyone and understands the area better than anyone.

Worth half a billion Pounds in property and other business interests, Disley built his empire by running security on the doors of nightclubs in Manchester. He spends his time in Marbella on his #2million yacht with girlfriend Lucy Hesketh, 19.

Disley is liked by everyone in the area and invited The Sun to a meeting on his yacht, where he explained: "This place makes perfect sense for British criminals on the run.

"The international language of anything is English, including crime. Lads can come out here with no need to learn Spanish, the full English breakfast is on every corner, the sun's shining and there's money to be made.

"It's a dangerous life they lead and most don't survive. I always say - first you're in a Cortina, then you're in a BMW, then you're in jail.

"They recently introduced a 500 Euro note out here.

Investigation ... Sun man Nick Francis in Marbella

"Criminals like to deal in this currency as they can hide their cash easier. You can fit a few million in cash in a shoe box with notes that big." Marbella and neighbouring Puerto Banus reek of money.

Brash Ferraris line the harbour and bars with names such as Sinatra and Linekers - owned by Wayne Lineker, brother of ex-footie star Gary - do a roaring trade with swarms of ex-pats and British tourists.

The Sun was introduced to a former UK-based gangster dubbed the "Mad Gipsy King", who now runs the doors on the Costa del Sol. He met us at the very spot where Smith was shot. Bullet holes were still in the wall.

Our contact refused to reveal his real name or be pictured, but he told us: "A lot of drugs come through Spain, especially cocaine and weed.

"The shipments leave south America then dock in Africa, where the governments are corrupt so turn a blind eye to their illegal cargos.

"The closest part of Europe to Africa is Spain. Kilos of coke are brought in by speedboats. Once the drugs are on the mainland it's easy to distribute them. The coke that ends up in the UK almost always comes through Spain.

"And where you've got drugs, you've got gangs. And where you've got gangs, you've got bloodshed. This has been going on for years.

"Now you have a few main gangs all fighting for control - Mancs, Scousers, Cockneys and the Irish.

"The Irish are a relatively new addition. Since the days of the IRA there has been pressure on Irish authorities to start bringing their big criminals to justice, so suddenly major players are bolting to the Costa del Sol.

"The body count is racking up rapidly since the four groups started going to war. These lads are ruthless.

"They think nothing of torture, assassinations, even kidnapping people's kids.

"It costs you about 500 quid, maximum, to have someone killed out here."

Everywhere you go in Marbella you hear Liverpudlian accents, and authorities reckon they are the main British force out here.

Map ... Marbella on the 'Costa del Crime' in Spain

They are the first British outfit to strike a deal with Mexican drug lords described by SOCA - the Serious Organised Crime Agency - as the world's most violent and richest cocaine organisation.

Furious

Liverpool gangsters have opened up a gateway to Europe, allowing cocaine-importing Mexicans to access their well- established distribution networks.

The "exclusivity deal" was struck by senior negotiators from each side in the nightclubs, hotels and boats of Marbella.

But it has sparked furious battles as the Manchester, London and Irish firms all compete for a piece of the action.

One spat between the Irish and Scouse gangs took place in broad daylight in the Nikki Beach bar in Marbella.

Crimestoppers recently issued a list of 50 wanted Brits thought to be on the run in Spain. After huge efforts in manpower and cash, British and Spanish authorities have arrested 34 of them.

Those still on the run include James Tomkins, wanted in connection with the murder of Rocky Dawson, 24.

Sun story ... Danny's murder

He was shot from behind and killed as he belted his two kids, then aged just two and six, into the back seat of his car in Romford, Essex, in May 2006.

Danny Smith's execution - along with the others - is proof the Costa Del Crime is still a bolthole for the UK's most dangerous and looks set to become even more established as a hub for international drug smuggling, headed by British gangs.

As the Mad Gipsy King summed it up: "Think of the Costa del Sol as a slice of Britain abroad - but the very worst part of Britain with the very worst people.

"It doesn't take much to end up being thrown overboard in the bay with a car wheel tied around your neck."

n.francis@the-sun.co.uk

Spanish diva, Isabel Pantoja,rejected the appeal placed before it by the defence team for Spanish diva

Spanish diva, Isabel Pantoja,Spanish singer is facing money laundering charges arising from her relationship with Julián Muñoz

The Provincial Court in Málaga has rejected the appeal placed before it by the defence team for Spanish diva, Isabel Pantoja, against the ruling by Judge Óscar Pérez, in which she faces charges along with her ex lover, the ex Mayor, Julián Muñoz, and his ex wife, Mayte Zaldívar.

Isabel Pantoja had claimed in her appeal that she had started to save money before meeting and starting a relationship with Julián Muñoz, but the court rejected the claim saying that Óscar Pérez had acted correctly. She still therefore faces a possible three and a half year prison sentence and a 3.7 million € fine on money laundering charges.

Anti Corruption Prosecutor considers that Fernando Del Valle was implicated in the UK electronics fraud

Ballena Blanca money laundering court case is continuing in Málaga, and on Wednesday the proceedings concentrated on how the organisation, allegedly based at the Marbella offices of the Chilean lawyer, Fernando del Valle, laundered the proceeds from a fraud of an electronics company in the UK in 2001.

Del Valle told the court that the money which his clients, Harvey Jeffery and Karen Levin, transferred to him from abroad was licit and came from their professional activity.
‘It was a standard case of investing a foreign client’s money’, he said, adding that there was nothing from the client to make him think otherwise.

The Anti Corruption Prosecutor considers that Del Valle was implicated in the UK electronics fraud, and notes how his offices managed as many as 523 companies of which 194 were foreign.

Body of Daniel Hastelow has this morning been exhumed and reburied in a new grave

Body of Daniel Hastelow has this morning been exhumed and reburied in a new grave
body of Mr Daniel Hastelow has this morning been exhumed and reburied in a new grave at Walsall Wood Churchyard after a Consistory Court heard that he had mistakenly been buried in a grave reserved by faculty – a legal order – for the widow of the man buried in the next door grave.

The Churchyard, in Brooklands Road, Walsall Wood, was closed shortly before 6.00am this morning. Mrs Susan Hastelow, Danny Hastelow’s mother, was present at the Churchyard, as was the Archdeacon of Walsall, the Ven Chris Sims. The Churchyard re-opened at 8.30am after the work was completed.

The order for the exhumation was handed down on 6th April by His Honour Judge Marten Coates, Chancellor of the Lichfield Consistory Court, sitting at Warwick Combined Court Centre. The judgement gave the family of Mr Hastelow 21 days to organise the exhumation themselves before responsibility switched to the Archdeacon of Walsall.

The Hastelow family had asked the Court of Arches, the appeal court for ecclesiastical law in Canterbury Province, for permission to apply out of time for leave to appeal; and this was granted. The Court of Arches then imposed a stay on the Chancellors Judgement. No application for leave was received; despite the Court of Arches extending the deadline; and the stay was lifted last Friday.

Gavin Drake, director of communications for the Diocese of Lichfield, said: “Now the exhumation and reburial has taken place we hope and pray that both families will be able to begin the process of healing; and we remain extremely sorry for the additional grief and suffering they have been forced to endure as a result of this error.

“The mistake which led to the burial in the wrong grave was entirely the fault of the church. It was a very simple error but the consequences of it were extremely serious for the two families.

UK News :: Costa del Sol killer in plea for swap to British prison

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Costa del Sol killer in plea for swap to British prison: "Tony King, 45, received four terms totalling 62 years for the murders of two teenage girls and an attempted rape on the Costa del Sol.

Under Spanish law, he can only serve a maximum of 30 years.

Now his lawyers have asked the Spanish Justice Ministry to allow him to return to Britain to serve out his sentence.

Spanish officials will be consulted before any decision. Britain has to agree to take him. If he is transferred here, he will be treated as if his crimes were on UK soil. King moved to Spain in 1999 and in October of that year he stabbed Rocio Wanninkhof to death in Mijas Costa.

Four years later, he kidnapped and strangled 17-year-old Sonia Carabantes. He was held after his estranged wife Cecilia saw marks on his arms. The former barman was jailed over the killings in 2005."

Terry Adams free: Two minders and a woman greet gangster outside jail | Mail Online

Terry Adams free: Two minders and a woman greet gangster outside jail | Mail Online: "Terry Adams, Britain’s most feared gangster, yesterday walked to freedom after serving just half of a seven-year sentence for money laundering. In what could have been a scene from The Godfather, he was greeted by a glamorous brunette in black and two sidekicks. Wearing an open-necked white shirt tucked into khaki trousers, Adams looked relaxed as the attractive young woman stepped out of a £60,000 black Range Rover wearing dark glasses, a black skirt and jacket and high heels."

Civil Guard patrol boat ignored warnings as it came close to the heavily armed warship HMS Somerset and the fast patrol boat HMS Sabre.

Civil Guard patrol boat ignored warnings as it came close to the heavily armed warship HMS Somerset and the fast patrol boat HMS Sabre.
The two Royal Navy vessels were carrying out an anti-terror exercise in an area where ships are always on high alert for attacks.
Britain has made an official complaint to Spain following the latest in a series of confrontations between the two countries around Gibraltar.
The 52ft (16m) Rio Tormes headed towards the two ships on the evening of June 1. The patrol vessel's red, white, blue and yellow markings were difficult to spot because of the fading light, and they refused to identify themselves despite repeated requests from the British ships.
The Rio Tormes is usually deployed to stop drug smugglers and illegal immigrants from reaching Spain from north Africa.
Senior British military officials were said to be "furious" when they learned what happened, and said the Spanish ship risked being "blown out of the water" by its recklessness. A Navy source told the Gibraltar Chronicle: "Racing towards a well-armed warship is madness. It's irresponsible and incredibly risky."
But the crew of the HMS Sabre, a fast patrol boat based in Gibraltar, were able to confirm its identity.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "The issue here is safety. We have raised this directly with the Spanish government." HMS Somerset, a 463ft, type 23 frigate was in Gibraltar on its way to deployment in the Gulf.
The Navy ships were carrying out a terror exercise involving how to deal dangerous situations with unidentified small craft when the incident happened.
Spain refuses to recognise that the waters outside Gibralter's three-mile port perimeter are British and has repeatedly tried to reclaim them.
Britain was given Gibraltar and the waters around it in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, but Spain has said it will never renounce its claim to sovereignty.

Six alleged members of the Russian/Georgian mafia arrested

Six alleged members of the Russian/Georgian mafia have been arrested, during the early hours of Wednesday, in Cataluña on money laundering charges.

They also face charges of document falsification and illicit association, with the arrests and searches carried out in Salou, Vilafortuny and Cambrils, in a police operation codenamed ‘Java’.
The swoops were joint action between the regional Mossos d’Esquadra and the National Police, and follows 24 earlier arrests in March this year in several provinces across Spain.

It appears that the group was laundering money through restaurants and construction in Spain.

61 year old German woman has been found dead inside her bar which she ran in an Alicante urbanisation.

61 year old German woman has been found dead inside her bar which she ran in an Alicante urbanisation.

It happened in Urbanisation Pinar de Campoverde in Pilar de la Horadada, and the Guardia Civil report that the door to her business was open when the body was found behind the bar by the cleaner on Wednesday morning.
They report that she suffered several deep blows to the head which had crushed her skull.

The woman had been in Spain running the business for just two years.

The Guardia are asking for witnesses, but doubt that anyone will come forward given the torrential storm in the area on Tuesday night. All lines of investigation remain open, although robbery seems a possible motive for the attack.

An autopsy is to be carried out in the Alicante Anatomic and Forensic Science Institute on Thursday.

Two men have died from gunshot wounds at 9pm on Wednesday night, outside a prostitute’s club

Two men have died from gunshot wounds at 9pm on Wednesday night, outside a prostitute’s club in Avilés, Asturias.

Police think the shooting is part of a drug-related settling of scores and say the gunman fired from a car. Witnesses have said that one of the two victims threatened the shooter with an iron bar.

It happened outside the Arcos club, and the gunman managed to escape along the N-632.

six British soldiers who allegedly took part in a fight in the La Vaca Loca restaurant on the Costa Teguise

Friday, in Arrecife, Lanzarote, against six British soldiers who allegedly took part in a fight in the La Vaca Loca restaurant on the Costa Teguise in February this year.

The six are accused of causing injury and damage, and acting against authority.

Witnesses said that the men hit both staff and clients at the restaurant and as a result of the brawl four people needed hospital attention.

WANTED in connection with the murder of a British man in Benalmádena

police say they want to question the two in connection with the murder of a British man in Benalmádena

National Police in Spain have asked for the public to keep an eye out for two Irishmen who are wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of a 32 year old British Citizen, Paul Feathers, who was stabbed to death in his own home in Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmádena last April 21.

W.A.L, is a 34 year old Irishman, 1m80 tall, with a thin build brown hair and bad teeth as a result of drug taking.

B.P.M. is a 26 year old Irishman, between 1m85 and 1m90 tall, of strong build, brown hair and with several tattoos, including a bird on the right arm and a naked woman on the left arm, a scorpion and an Indian on the back and an angel on the chest.

Irishman Eric Wilson, 26, was in a Spanish jail last night accused of gunning down Daniel Smith, 24, of Billericay

Costa del Sol bar stabbing: Brit held - mirror.co.uk: "Irishman Eric Wilson, 26, was in a Spanish jail last night accused of gunning down Daniel Smith, 24, of Billericay, Essex outside a Costa del Sol bar last weekend."

Costa del Sol bar stabbing: Brit held - mirror.co.uk

Costa del Sol bar stabbing: Brit held - mirror.co.uk: "Police in Spain arrested a Briton who allegedly fired a gun in a packed bar before stabbing a neighbour.
Witnesses told detectives the expat walked up to his victim and fired a warning shot at the ground.
As drinkers dived for cover, he stabbed him in the chest before fleeing."

Rothstein aide Villegas pleads guilty - South Florida Business Journal

Rothstein aide Villegas pleads guilty - South Florida Business Journal: "Villegas was accused of helping the scheme, which involved wiring large sums of money from investors directly to accounts at TD Bank and Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust.
Villegas worked in Rothstein’s secured inner office at now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler.
The information also sought forfeiture of her home, at 380 Carrington Drive in Weston, and her 2009 blue-gray Maserati Granturismo coupe. Rothstein deeded the Weston home to her for $100 last summer.
Villegas’ husband, Tony Villegas, was charged last year with murdering her close friend, RRA attorney Melissa Britt Lewis. He was recently found unfit to stand trial.
Villegas faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the amount of criminally derived proceeds.
At the time she was charged, John Gillies the FBI‘s special agent in charge in the Miami division, said in a news release: “We sometimes must make tough choices in our lives and, in this case, Debra Villegas made the wrong choice. She could have done the right thing and reported Rothstein’s fraud to law enforcement, but instead she assisted him in carrying out the scheme. She chose greed over her integrity, and now she will have to pay the price for her actions.”
Villegas initially pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing in federal court in Fort Lauderdale on April 28."

Hayworth replaces Henriques as Gibraltar chairman - South Florida Business Journal

Hayworth replaces Henriques as Gibraltar chairman - South Florida Business Journal: "Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust founder and CEO Steven D. Hayworth has replaced Adolfo Henriques as chairman of the Coral Gables-based bank.
In September, a group of more than 50 local investors, led by Hayworth, bought the bank from Boston Private Financial Holdings, of which Henriques is a board member. During the negotiations to sell the bank to the local group, Henriques took over as chairman."

Gibraltar Bank’s role in Rothstein scheme under scrutiny - South Florida Business Journal

Gibraltar Bank’s role in Rothstein scheme under scrutiny - South Florida Business Journal: "Although the largest amount of money in Scott W. Rothstein’s alleged Ponzi scheme flowed through TD Bank, attorneys investigating the case said there are more unanswered questions about the smaller bank in the case, Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust.
“We need to get to the bottom of Gibraltar quickly,” said William Scherer, the attorney for some investors in Rothstein’s scheme. “I think TD Bank was his main bank, but Rothstein had Gibraltar stock and had accounts there. The accounts are being turned over, and we are going to analyze them.”
Gibraltar has been at the forefront of the Rothstein scandal since federal authorities raided Rothstein’s offices at his defunct law firm, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. The feds seized several documents related to Gibraltar, including a folder marked “shred.”"

Man jailed for murder bid at old haunted mansion |Crime Scene Spain

Man jailed for murder bid at old haunted mansion |Crime Scene Spain: "Filed in Costa Del Sol 0 comments
A man who tried to kill his friend so he could join a satanic sect has been jailed for five years. The 30 year old who has psychiatric problems, did not have to face trial as he admitted the charge and accepted the prosecutors sentence.
It was in October 2008 that the accused took a kitchen knife and attempted to stab his friend at the area infamous Cortijo Jurado in the Campanillas of Malaga. But the friend grabbed the knife and managed to escape to a nearby warehouse where he asked for help.
When police arrived, the accused told them that he wanted join a satanic sect and had to sacrifice someone so that he would be admitted.
Cortijo Jurado – known locally as Casa Encatada (haunted house) – is a 19th century two-storey abandoned mansion surrounded in mystery.
It once belonged to Manuel Agustin Heredia, a prominent Malaga figure. After he died and heors inherited the property many strange events are rumoured to have taken place within its walls, including satanic rituals, perverse sexual acts and human sacrifices.
Legends are partly tied to the disappearance of several women aged between 18 and 21, with their bodies found dead three days later on the riverbank close to the house. Though police records do not tie Heredia family members to the mysterious disappearances, there are believed to be several tunnels under the house that lead directly to where the bodies were found, and rooms said to contain torture aparatus."

Briton gets 9 years for Puerto Banus shooting |Crime Scene Spain

Briton gets 9 years for Puerto Banus shooting |Crime Scene Spain: "Englishman was sentenced by a Malaga Court to nine years in prison for shooting a fellow Brit outside a Puerto Banus bar in 2008. He was given eight years for attempted murder and one for illegal possession of weapons.
As this was the third shooting in less than a month in Marbella. At the time Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Rubalcaba suggested the shootings may have been related to the settling of scores between rival drugs gangs. However, in the sentencing, there is no mention of this. The other two shootings occurred in renowned Nikki Beach and Aloha"

Costa News - Top gangster seized in Marbella

Costa News - Top gangster seized in Marbella: "SPANISH Police officers from the drugs and organised crime squad detained Alexander Kalashov in Marbella on Sunday. He is believed to be the leader of the mafia in his native country Georgia and was arrested on an international extradition warrant.
The National Police moved in on the criminal, known as the 'invisible man', on Sunday afternoon, stopping his car as he drove through Marbella. He did not resist arrest.
Kalashov had been released by a Spanish court on March 2 this year on 300,000 euros bail but is now in jail in Madrid pending his extradition hearing.
The Spanish High Court has sentenced the Georgian to seven and a half years behind bars for his part in operation Avispa involving money laundering. He also has to pay massive fines along with the other five people involved, but was found not guilty of illicit association."

Weapons found in house where Irish murder suspect arrested - The Irish Times - Thu, Jun 10, 2010

Weapons found in house where Irish murder suspect arrested - The Irish Times - Thu, Jun 10, 2010: "Police have discovered a weapons cache during a search of the house where they arrested an Irishman suspected of shooting a man outside a Costa del Sol bar.
Detectives discovered hand grenades, detonators, ammunition and packages believed to contain explosives including dynamite, after a search of the house in Coin, southern Spain, and called in police bomb disposal experts.
Daniel Smith (24), was shot by a gunman on a motorbike on Saturday evening. The British citizen died at the scene after being shot in the head, chest and neck.
Spanish authorities yesterday said that the shooting was not believed to be linked to organised crime."

Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Express Yourself :: Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches: "Paul Feathers, 32, was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend at his home in the down-market resort of Benalmadena. Police are still hunting two men. Then the naked body of a man was caught in offshore fishing nets on May 5. His killers cut off his hands and feet before putting a bag over his head and a heavy chain round his neck.

He was reported at the weekend to have been identified as a Brit – although the police officially say they are not sure who he was. The latest victim was British expat Daniel Smith. The 24-year-old died in a hail of bullets on Saturday night on the terrace of a bar in the popular holiday resort of Riviera del Sol, near Fuengirola.

Drinkers dived for cover as a gunman opened fire from a high-powered motorbike. The authorities said it had all the hallmarks of a gangland assassination. A 27-year-old Irishman is still being questioned about the killing and a local government spokesman has confirmed the discovery of explosives in a house where the chief suspect is believed to have been holed up.

He is also said to be linked to one of the passengers in a car which was targeted in a drive-by shooting two years ago near the resort of Estepona. Dublin gangster Paddy Doyle was shot dead in that attack. Police believe a Briton with strong contacts to the criminal underworld who is currently held in a Spanish jail is a key lynchpin linking many of these crimes."

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Express Yourself :: Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Express Yourself :: Brits in Costa del Sol: Blood on the beaches: "Paul Feathers, 32, was stabbed to death in front of his girlfriend at his home in the down-market resort of Benalmadena. Police are still hunting two men. Then the naked body of a man was caught in offshore fishing nets on May 5. His killers cut off his hands and feet before putting a bag over his head and a heavy chain round his neck.

He was reported at the weekend to have been identified as a Brit – although the police officially say they are not sure who he was. The latest victim was British expat Daniel Smith. The 24-year-old died in a hail of bullets on Saturday night on the terrace of a bar in the popular holiday resort of Riviera del Sol, near Fuengirola.

Drinkers dived for cover as a gunman opened fire from a high-powered motorbike. The authorities said it had all the hallmarks of a gangland assassination. A 27-year-old Irishman is still being questioned about the killing and a local government spokesman has confirmed the discovery of explosives in a house where the chief suspect is believed to have been holed up.

He is also said to be linked to one of the passengers in a car which was targeted in a drive-by shooting two years ago near the resort of Estepona. Dublin gangster Paddy Doyle was shot dead in that attack. Police believe a Briton with strong contacts to the criminal underworld who is currently held in a Spanish jail is a key lynchpin linking many of these crimes."

Murdered British children buried in Lloret de Mar

Murdered British children buried in Lloret de Mar: "bodies of the two young British children, Rebecca and Daniel, allegedly murdered by their own mother in a hotel in Lloret de Mar on May 18th, have been buried this afternoon in the Spanish town where they died.
The town council has had to foot the bill for the burial, since no-one in their family came forward to claim their bodies.
Town officials said it was important 'to give these two young children a dignified funeral, with all the intimacy, respect and sadness due when children of such a young age lose their lives'.
Both their mother, Lianne S. and their father Martin S. are in prison. Lianne is being held in Girona, charged with the double murder, and Martin in being held in the UK, after being extradited in May on charges of paedophilia.
Apparently, some friends of the couple, who had known them when they were living together in Barcelona, initially offered to pay for the burial, but later backed out, citing financial difficulties."

Gibraltar urges firm hand against Spanish boat incursions < Spanish news | Expatica Spain

Gibraltar urges firm hand against Spanish boat incursions < Spanish news | Expatica Spain: "Incursions by Spanish boats into British territorial waters around Gibraltar must be promptly challenged, the British governor of the contested territory on the southern tip of Spain said Tuesday.
During an interview with Gibraltar radio, Sir Adrian Johns said Spanish vessels that enter the territorial waters of Gibraltar need to be 'challenged on the spot, firmly but courteously.'
'There is potential here for misunderstanding and miscalculation. What we all need to do is to get a better line of communication and perhaps even some form of protocol for operating in and around all the waters here, so that people understand what each other is doing and what our business is.'
His comments follow a series of cat and mouse games involving British and Spanish boats in the waters off the tiny British possession at the strategic western entrance to the Mediterranean.
In a serious incident last week, a British Royal Navy patrol boat cautioned a Spanish police boat to leave British territorial waters. It then escorted the Spanish boat out of the waters claimed by Britain.
'The Spanish vessel undertook some pretty aggressive manoeuvres, narrowly missing a small boat in the area,' a British military spokesman said."

BBC News - Man from Ireland held after Essex man murdered in Spain

BBC News - Man from Ireland held after Essex man murdered in Spain: "man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of an Essex man on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
Dan Smith, 24, a former builder from Billericay, was shot dead at a bar in Mijas over the weekend.
Mr Smith had been wanted by Essex Police in connection with the attempted murder of Douglas Turner on 7 July 2007 at Stock, near Chelmsford.
Police in Spain said a 27-year-old man from Ireland had been arrested in connection with Mr Smith's death.
Mr Smith was shot outside a bar in the province of Malaga late on Saturday and bullets hit the walls where the shooting happened.
The Foreign Office said Mr Smith died on Sunday.
A spokesman added it was providing consular assistance to his family.
He said it could not comment further due to the police investigation"

Insidecostarica.com | Costa Rica Daily News and Information

Insidecostarica.com | Costa Rica Daily News and Information: "Policía de Control de Drogas (PCD) have been busy this year in their fight against drug trafficking at the Juan Santamaría (San José) airport, as the tally of busts of drug 'mules' this year so far is 16. However that number is down considerably from last's year's total of 74.The Ministerio de Seguridad Pública says that the majority of those arrests are men who that used to snuggle out drugs of Costa Rica concealed in their bodies or luggage.The main countries of destination of the mules are Spain, Italy and Holland, where the price of illegal drugs is much higher."

captured the alleged leader of an international drugs and guns empire known as the Dapper Don

Police hunting British criminals on the Costa del Sol are hoping to make more arrests after capturing the alleged leader of an international drugs and guns empire known as the Dapper Don.The drugs and weapons were believed to be destined for the UK, where Irish-born British citizen Christopher "Christy" Kinahan is also known by the nickname the "Irish Godfather".The arrest of the alleged crime boss is the latest to result from a series of raids carried out across Europe by 750 officers from Britain, Ireland and Spain.More than 30 people have been arrested so far in the operation which has seen the biggest deployment of officers from Britain's Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).Nine men and two women arrested in the UK in connection with the operation have been released on bail.Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt, in Spain, said: "Investigators always anticipated that some of the suspects would be freed on bail while the investigation continues.

Daniel Smith Essex fugitive gunned down on Costa del Sol

Essex fugitive gunned down on Costa del Sol - Telegraph: "six shots were fired and the victim was declared dead at the scene.
Spanish authorities have identified that target as Daniel Smith, a man wanted by Essex police for an attempted murder near Billericay in July 2007.
Smith, who was sought on a European arrest warrant and appeared on a Crimestoppers 'most wanted' list, is thought to have fled to Spain after shooting businessman Doug Turner, then 52, in what police said at the time was a case of mistaken identity.
Mr Turner lost three fingers and was blasted in the arm and stomach in the shotgun attack on the driveway of his home.
Smith, who was 6ft 5 inches tall, had worked as roof tiler in Mijas, and according to local reports had been seen arguing with another drinker earlier in the evening."Daniel Smith, from Billericay, Essex, was sitting with friends at a terrace table when he was shot three times in the face by a gunman on a motorbike.
Police believe Mr Smith, who has been on the run from detectives in Britain for three years, was the victim of a contract killing.
Drinkers at the Lounge Bar, a British-run drinking spot, watched in horror as he was gunned down in Mijas, near Malaga, in southern Spain on Saturday night.
According to reports, the killer was on the back of a motorbike driven by another man and fired six shots in total.
Mr Smith was shot three times in the face, and the gunman fired three other rounds which missed him.
A regular told The Sun: 'He kept firing at Dan even though he was on the ground. It was horrible.'
Police in Britain had been seeking Mr Smith over a shooting in 2007 of an Essex businessman, who survived but lost three fingers.
Mr Smith was the third Briton to be murdered on the Costa del Sol in the last six weeks in what was thought to be a struggle between British gangs for control of the drug trade, according to The Times.
Spain’s Civil Guard said the murder 'had all the hallmarks' of a contract killing. No arrests have been made.
A Civil Guard spokesman told The Times: 'We received a number of calls at 10.10pm reporting gunshots.
'Emergency services attended the scene but they were unable to save the man’s life. He died from gunshot wounds.'
He added: 'The gunman and his accomplice escaped on a motorbike. It had the hallmarks of a gangland settling of scores.'

fired six shots at Smith who was drinking on the terrace Briton slain in ‘drive by’ | Olive Press Newspaper

Briton slain in ‘drive by’ | Olive Press Newspaper: "26-year-old was shot at six times after a row in a popular local pub The Lounge Bar, in Riviera del Sol, Mijas.
The killer, allegedly a friend, returned on a motorbike at 10pm on Saturday night.
He fired six shots at Smith who was drinking on the terrace. Two of them missed him and entered the bar, one getting lodged in a table.
An ambulance was on the scene within minutes, but he was declared dead before 11pm.
According to an Olive Press source, the builder had been shot just minutes after getting into an argument."

British man killed in drive-by shooting on Costa del Sol | Mail Online

British man killed in drive-by shooting on Costa del Sol | Mail Online: "shot outside a bar in Mijas just after 10pm. The shooter is thought to have escaped on the back of a bike being driven by another suspect.'So far there have been no arrests. Nobody else was injured in the incident.'
One theory is that the man is wanted by Essex Police on suspicion of attempted murder following a shooting in July 2007.The victim was a man in his 50s who was shot in the torso and arm in Stock, a village in Essex.The Civil Guard police are investigating the Malaga murder, which comes less than two weeks after Spanish police smashed what was alleged to be a massive international criminal gang based on the Costa del Sol."

English builder has been shot Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, Riviera del Sol from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders

English builder has been shot in a drive-by shooting in Spain.The 26-year-old was shot at six times after a row in a popular local pub The Lounge Bar, in Riviera del Sol, Mijas.The killer, allegedly a friend, returned on a motorbike at 10pm on Saturday night.He fired six shots at Smith who was drinking on the terrace. Two of them missed him and entered the bar, one getting lodged in a table.An ambulance was on the scene within minutes, but he was declared dead before 11pm.According to an Olive Press source, the builder had been shot just minutes after getting into an argument.It is the sixth murder on the Costa del Sol this year so far, with 22-year-old British man being stabbed on April 22 in Benalmadena.
This latest Costa del Sol killing comes just over a week after the so-called Irish Mafia, led by Christopher Kinahan, was broken up.His organisation was allegedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking and money laundering.Britisher, shot while on a street terrace, from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders in Mijas. The victim has not yet been named.Diario de Sevilla reports that it happened at 10,10pm on Saturday night at the British-run Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, in the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation, an area popular with drinkers. Reports say that at least six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.Health workers could do nothing to save the life of the victim who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head.
A 26 year old man, reported to be British, has died after being shot while on a street terrace, from a passing large cylinder motorbike carrying two riders in Mijas. The victim has not yet been named.

Diario de Sevilla reports that it happened at 10,10pm on Saturday night at the British-run Lounge Bar, Terraza de Miraflores, in the Riviera del Sol Urbanisation, an area popular with drinkers. Reports say that at least six shots were fired in total, and that three of them hit the victim.

Health workers could do nothing to save the life of the victim who died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head.
The judicial police of the Guardia Civil have opened a full investigation, with the first hypothesis considering the killing was part of a settling of scores.

This latest Costa del Sol killing comes just over a week after the so-called Irish Mafia , led by Christopher Kinahan, was broken up. His organisation was allegedly involved in drug and firearms trafficking and money laundering. Possible links to this new killing are being investigated.

Saturday’s shooting is the sixth homicide on the Costa del Sol this year. The latest came to light on May 6 when a fishing boat caught a body in its nets near the Calaburras lighthouse in Mijas. The body, which was wrapped in plastic, is still to be identified.

Read more: http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_26314.shtml#ixzz0q4eniBN1

cage-fighter has been jailed in Morocco for his part in the UK's biggest cash raid

Moroccan court on Wednesday postponed to January 30 the trial of four Britons and a Moroccan, who were arrested in June 2006 in the Moroccan capital.

The postponement came following the absence of the four Britons during the hearing. These are Lee Ibrahim Murray, Paul Allan, Armitage Guerry and Mustafa Basar.

Mr. Murray was sentenced by a Moroccan court to eight months in jail, while Paul Allan was sentenced to eight months and MAD 10,000 fine each, on charges of "drug possession and consumption" and "assault against police officers".

London accuses Lee Lamrani Ibrahim Murray of masterminding the bank robbery committed in February 2006, in which 53Mn pounds were stolen from Securitas cash depot in Kent, southern England.

The Supreme Court is examining the extradition request filed by the United Kingdom concerning Lee Murray, currently held in custody, while the extradition request concerning Allan Paul was validated on May 2.