We have sources who tip us off -2 thousand cannabis plants

2 thousand cannabis plants have been seized following drug raids on plastic greenhouses (invernaderos). Police found 664 plants during a raid on an invernadero, which are normally used to grow fruit and vegetables for northern Europe, near Albuñol . The plastic drugs bust followed a raid on a greenhouse nearby, when civil guards found 560 plants.
In total, four marijuana factories on the Granada coast have been found under plastic since the middle of August. Explaining the increase in the number of drug raids on invernaderos, a police spokesman said: “We have sources who tip us off. We can then locate the greenhouse and their owners. However, some are like cuckoos and it is difficult to locate them.”

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Posted in: Granada

Home Invasion the Christmas buzzword

Home invaders in Spain understand the isolation poor infrastructure and lack of police presence they also know know that they won't have to overcome alarm systems when the home is occupied or be worried about video cameras and silent alarms. Unlike robbing a retail store, home invaders expect privacy once inside your home and won’t have to deal with the police suddenly driving up or customers walking in. Once the offenders take control of a residence they can force the occupants to open safes, locate hidden valuables, supply keys to the family car, and PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Home invaders will try to increase their escape time by disabling the phones and sometimes will leave their victims bound or incapacitated. It is not unheard of for robbers to load up the victim’s car with valuables and drive away without anyone in the neighborhood taking notice.

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Homejacking hits Christmas on the Costas

Homejacking is on the rise.This is the residential form of an automobile carjacking and it's on the rise. Like the crime of carjacking, most police agencies don’t track home invasions as a separate crime. Home invasion robbers work more often at night and on weekends when homes are more likely to be occupied. The home invader will sometimes target the resident as well as the dwelling. The selection process may include a woman living alone, a wealthy senior citizen or a known drug dealer, for example. It is not unheard of for a robber to follow you home based on the value of the car you are driving or the jewelry you are wearing. Some home invaders might have been in your home before as a delivery person, installer or repair vendor. Home robbers rarely work alone and rely on an overwhelming physical confrontation to gain initial control and instill fear in you. The greatest violence usually occurs during the initial sixty seconds of the confrontation and home invaders often come prepared with handcuffs, rope, duct tape, and firearms. Some in-home robbers appear to enjoy the intimidation, domination, and violence and some even claim it’s a "rush." home invasion, little can be done to alert the public as to the frequency of occurrence in their community or devise a law enforcement plan of action to control it.

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loans were taken out for car purchase, and were based on false documentation relating to income and employment. The loan repayments were never made.

The National Police Fraud Squad in Málaga has broken up an organised group of criminals who are believed to have defrauded more than 150,000 € by taking out fraudulent bank loans.The gang used false documentation to take out loans for car purchase but never made the repayments.Twelve vehicles have so far been detected as being bought in this way.Twelve people have been taken into custody: eight Spaniards, three Romanian nationals and a woman from Morocco. A 51 year old man from Romania is believed to have originally formed the network, and then passed it on to his two sons.

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Posted in: Malaga

Costa home invaders the new threat to expat security

Spanish Home invaders know that they won't have to overcome alarm systems when the home is occupied or be worried about video cameras and silent alarms. Unlike robbing a retail store, home invaders expect privacy once inside your home and won’t have to deal with the police suddenly driving up or customers walking in. Once the offenders take control of a residence they can force the occupants to open safes, locate hidden valuables, supply keys to the family car, and PIN numbers to their ATM cards. Home invaders will try to increase their escape time by disabling the phones and sometimes will leave their victims bound or incapacitated. It is not unheard of for robbers to load up the victim’s car with valuables and drive away without anyone in the neighborhood taking notice.The most common point of attack is through the front door or garage. Sometimes the home invader will simply kick open the door and confront everyone inside. More common is when the home invaders knock on the door first or ring the bell. The home invader hopes that the occupant will simply open the door, without question, in response to their knock. Unfortunately, many people do just that.

Home invaders will sometimes use a ruse or impersonation to get you to open the door. They have been known to pretend to be delivering a package, flowers or lie about an accident like hitting your parked car. Once the door is opened for them, the home invaders will use an explosive amount of force and threats to gain control of the home and produce fear in the victims. Once the occupants are under control the robbers will begin to collect your valuables.
Some home robbers have been known to spend hours ransacking a residence while the homeowners are bound nearby watching in terror. Some robbers have been known to eat meals, watch TV, or even take a nap. A major fear is that the robbers might commit more violence like sexual assault or even murder. Some robbers have kidnapped and forced a victim to withdraw cash from their ATM machine or take them to their small business to rob it as well.

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Posted in: Home Invasion

seaside resort cities of Lloret de Mar and Benidorm

agents identified several websites in the U-S that allowed access to child pornography files in exchange for payments of between $70 and $95.
The trail led to the seaside resort cities of Lloret de Mar and Benidorm where police detected, then arrested, four Russian nationals.
Subsequent probes then led to the arrest of 59 people during the past 10 days.

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secret mass graves

The Spanish government and judges might be instructed to cooperate in the investigation of scores of secret mass graves dating from the civil war (1936-39) and its aftermath. They may be forced to begin opening such graves and to identify the corpses lying within.
The graves are dotted all over Spain and their existence has been known to Spanish people for over 60 years. They are reported to contain the remains of more than 30,000 republican soldiers, militants and other opponents of Franco’s fascist dictatorship. The victims were either captured or detained during the civil war and executed later, or were summarily executed by falangists or Francoist troops in the days and months immediately after the war. Their bodies were flung into hurriedly dug graves by the roadside, at the bottom of cliffs or in the middle of fields. Some were grabbed; others were persuaded to give themselves up after being assured that nothing would happen to them if they did so.
According to campaigners, among the scores of uncovered mass graves are some containing more than one thousand corpses near Oviedo and Gijon in the north, Teruel in the east and Seville in the south. The biggest grave near Merida is believed to contain more than 3,500 bodies.

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Posted in: Spanish Civil War Graves

Puente Romano and the Marbella Club

The judge investigating the Hidalgo money laundering case in Marbella, Manuel Martin Hernandez-Carrillo, interrogated three people connected with the hotel group that owns the Puente Romano and the Marbella Club last week. One of them is said to be the director of one of the hotels. The director of the Marbella Club, Juan Carlos Luna, said he had never been ordered to appear before the judge and that he and the hotel had nothing to do with the case. A local newspaper said it had not been possible to contact the director of Puente Romano. The case had been conducted in absolute secrecy until September, when the court began to release some details of the involvement of the Cruz Conde lawyers’ practice, which also has connections with the Malaya case of urban development-related corruption in Marbella town hall.

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Posted in: Marbella

30.000 dwellings

30.000 dwellings in the municipality which either have been built or are in the process of being built with illegally issued building licences. Basically, these were given in spite of the fact that they violated the 1986 Town Planning Regulation in force at present. The violations range from constructing houses on land not designated for building, for example in green belts or on land set aside for public facilities, to granting licenses in spite of the fact that buildings did not meet regulations or building codes, for example, building more homes or square metres on a plot than regulations allowed. Many of these dwellings have been completed and have been purchased by bona fide owners who have registered their title in the land registry and inhabit them. Now they have found out that they are illegal despite the fact that their solicitors had checked that the Land Registry showed the developer had a clean title and the latter had obtained a presumed legal building licence. Furthermore, in some instances the property even has a license known as the “First Occupation Licence” which is granted by the Town Hall and allows people to occupy their dwelling. Now some of these buildings are in danger of being demolished as result of court orders that declare their building licences null and void.

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Posted in: Andalusia

paid money to Judge Francisco Javier de Urquía

The Andalucian High Court of Justice, TSJA, has said that ‘there is absolutely no doubt’ that Juan Antonio Roca, the ex municipal real estate assessor in Marbella Town Hall, paid money to Judge Francisco Javier de Urquía. The instruction judge in the Andalucian High Court, Miguel Pasqau, has thus ordered that the case proceed to a full hearing on the charges of perversion of the course of justice and bribery.
Charged are the judge, Francisco Javier de Urquía, who has now been removed from Court number two in Marbella, Juan Antonio Roca, and a man described as a friend of the two and named as Arnau Fabrice Albouhair.
Meanwhile, Ecologistas en Acción have denounced what they claim is the administrative perversion of the course of justice in Marbella Town Hall. They claim that the town hall’s decision not to revise the building licences of some 1,000 properties granted permission between July 1991 and March 2006 by the Jesús Gil administration amounts to that, as the permissions were granted illegally

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Posted in: Corruption

shot in the centre of Marbella

A foreigner has died overnight after being shot in the centre of Marbella by two people who managed to make their escape from the scene.
EFE news agency quotes police sources who say it happened at 10pm close to Calle Camilo José Cela and that the two people who carried out the attack passed on a moped.
The victim is reported to have been shot several times in the back.

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remains are said to be of a white man in his forties

The Civil Guard are coming closer to solving the mystery of a chopped up body which was found buried in plastic bags in a field in Ceutí on Saturday, and have now, according to a report in La Verdad newspaper on Tuesday, managed to lift fingerprints off the mummified remains. The remains are said to be of a white man in his forties, who was murdered elsewhere before his body was chopped up and buried at a depth of one metre.
There is also evidence that the victim’s body was kept in a freezer for some time prior to being buried.
The gruesome contents of the plastic bags were discovered by a farmer who was turning over his land, and appear to have been buried there some years ago.

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Ghosts of the 80s

A trawler fishing off the coast of Altea brought up a rather unexpected catch in its nets on Wednesday: a human skull, and bones from the thorax, which were brought up from a depth of between 60 and 70 metres. The find has been handed over to the Civil Guard, who have started an investigation to try and identify the remains.
The President of the local Fishermen’s Guild, Antonio Lloret, spoke to the EFE news agency of an opening which could be seen in the back of the skull, as if, he said, it were made by a bullet.
Another trawler found a human hand and a leather jacket in its nets earlier this week, in the same area.

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Lorcrimar Hotel

The Andalucian Supreme Court of Justice has ordered Marbella Town Hall to revise the licence given for the Lorcrimar Hotel in town by Julián Muñoz in 2003, against the planning legislation.
The court is in agreement with the Junta de Andalucía which says that the Town Hall has the obligation to revise all the illegal licences. Last July 31st the Partido Popular controlled Town Hall passed a motion not to revise any more licences.

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

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

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Ken Macintyre, 64, was with a friend when they were attacked

Ken Macintyre, 64, was with a friend when they were attacked and robbed near Domino bar in the Spanish holiday resort in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office confirmed: "A man was attacked in an old part of the resort of Benidorm. However, we do not believe that the mugging caused the man's death. We believe that a subsequent incident caused the death of one of the men."
Spanish police said that Mr Macintyre and his friend were both "well-known visitors" to Benidorm.

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Posted in: Ken Macintyre

Spain is going to be bigger than Jamaica or Holland as a cannabis growing

"The Spanish sun is free, and the climate in some parts of the country is good for growing cannabis 10 months a year, but we see indoor growing as superior because it offers a controlled environment, and avoids the possibility of rip-offs and problems with insects and lack of water," Molina said. "Growers can combine indoor and outdoor growing, using their indoor gardens during cool weather, and also getting a head start on making plants for transplanting to outdoors. Pretty soon, Spain is going to be bigger than Jamaica or Holland as a cannabis growing and tourism destination."

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home of Antonio Banderas

The home of Antonio Banderas in Marbella will have to be demolished because it has been judged to be illegal.

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The brains of the operation Malaya, Juan Antonio Roca

The brains of the operation Malaya, Juan Antonio Roca, the public prosecutor requested a sentence of 10 years in prison for money laundering, false documents, illegal possession of weapons, trafficking of influences and crimes against regional planning.The Judge said...
Óscar Pérez, the judge now in charge of the Malaya corruption investigation in Marbella, has decided to treat an order for French wines and champagne placed by the man at the centre of the corruption, Juan Antonio Roca, as separate from the main case. The prosecution service argues that the ex Municipal Real Estate assessor planned to pass the cost – more than 850,000 €, onto Marbella Town Hall, although Roca himself has denied the accusation. The investigation will determine if there is any evidence of fraud.
The Management Committee which ran the Town Hall after the Malaya case broke last year until a new local government was formed after the municipal election earlier this year, passed the invoice onto the Anti Corruption prosecutor in July 2006. It was made out to the Town Hall, for the attention of Roca, and included 350 bottles of ‘Petrus 1979,’ at 2,000 € each, and 50 bottles of ‘Dom Perignon,’ at 300 € a bottle.

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Posted in: Juan Antonio Roca

"We rented a private plane to eat cus-cus in

"We spend four million pesetas in a birthday"
"We rented a private plane to eat cus-cus in
Marruecos ” Morocco "
"The least we always had at home were one hundred million pesetas"
"Julian Munoz has properties in Madrid Barcelona and Seville, and nothing is in your name, just in case."

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Posted in: Julian Munoz

Isabel PANTOJA MARTIN, born on 07 August 1956 in Seville (Seville), the son of John and Mary, owner of the National Identity Document number 28515553

Brief summary: Isabel PANTOJA MARTIN, born on 07 August 1956 in Seville (Seville), the son of John and Mary, owner of the National Identity Document number 28515553-S.
En Málaga, siendo las 00:05 horas, del día 3 de Mayo de 2007 y en cumplimiento de lo dispuesto en el artículo 520 de la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Criminal (L.O. 14/83), se procede a poner en conocimiento del epigrafiado que ha sido detenido por su participacíon en un presunto delito de BLANQUEO DE CAPITALES , así como de los derechos que le asisten, consistentes, fundamentalmente. In Malaga, with 00:05 hours of the day on May 3, 2007 and pursuant to the provisions of Article 520 of the Criminal Procedures Act (LO 14/83), is to draw the attention of epigrafiado has been arrested for his participacíon in an alleged crime of MONEY LAUNDERING, as well as the rights, consistent, basically.

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Posted in: Isabel PANTOJA MARTIN

Judge Torres just locate in Switzerland a chest Security 2 million Swiss francs

Judge Torres just locate in Switzerland a chest Security 2 million Swiss francs (1.2 million euros) was in the name of one of the presumed front of Rock. Francisco Antonio Soriano Pastor, abogado de Roca encarcelado e imputado por el caso Malaya, al salir de Alhaurín viajó hasta Andorra donde supuestamente intentó vaciar varias cuentas corrientes con dinero de Roca. Francisco Antonio Soriano Shepherd, a lawyer from Rock imprisoned and accused by the Malaysian case, to leave Alhaurín traveled to Andorra where allegedly tried to empty several accounts with money from Roca. Fue el pasado mes de Agosto, cinco meses después de las primeras detenciones. It was last August, five months after the first arrests. El juez Torres esta convencido que estaba rescatando fondos para Roca. The judge is convinced that Torres was rescuing funds for Rock. Dispone de cuentas en Isla de Man, Suiza, Islas Caimán, o las Islas Vírgenes. There are accounts in the Isle of Man, Switzerland, Cayman Islands, or the Virgin Islands.

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Judah Binstock has returned to Marbella.

Judah Binstock has returned to Marbella. Muñoz. Just after closing the investigation of Malaya and go to Grenada Judge Torres, the multimillionaire Jewish reappeared, owner of the majority of land in the municipality and alleged sponsor of the motion of censure against Julian Munoz.

He did so in a wheelchair and surrounded by his "gorilla" at a gala dinner and without his wife Josie, who dared to speak a few days ago to journalists of "Tomato", accusing journalists of the situation in which located Marbella after Operation Malaya.

Although Binstock has official residence in Buenos Aires and Paris, where he lives and makes their business really is in Marbella. His immense mansion called Villa Magnolia and his company through which conducts all its business Corporation New Marbella.
How is it possible that in Operation Malaya to stop all those who were part of the motion of censure "amañada" Rock to drive Munoz of the mayoral race and is not acknowledged to testify to the alleged sponsor of this motion? Justice is still time to sit on the bench Judah Binstock. . He is now in Spain.

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Judah Binstock connection to corruption in Marbella

An address book with telephone Montaner, Judah Binstock Aki Kuj wing and Raneapino
Among the documents seized Juan Antonio Roca following his arrest in April 2003, shortly before entering custody and work in the summary of the case soqueol, provides a comprehensive phone book, with names of relevant world politics, entertainment and urban businesses. The name "Judah", in allusion to British tycoon of Jewish origin Judah Binstock, is repeated several times. agosto de 2003. The businessman Binstock as he puts his hand that moved the threads of censure against former Mayor Julian Munoz in August 2003. Binstock's relations with the former councilors of tripartite Marbella Isabel Garcia Marcos and Carlos Fernandez, personal friends of the tycoon, are well known and are already spoken former Cabinet chief of the tránsfuga PSOE, Binstock, one of the largest owners of land in Marbella and controversial winner of the casino Sevillian Mairena del Aljarafe has background for various offenses in the UK, and has among its members the lawyer Engelbert Schereiber. This is a practicing lawyer from an office opened in the tax haven of Liechtenstein and accused in the summary by the attacks of 11 September in New York, for his alleged involvement in money laundering for the Al Qaeda terrorist network.

. As regards the former adviser of Public Works of the Board of Andalusia and architect by profession, Jaime Montaner, on the agenda of Rock seized in 2002 appears both a fixed number as a motive. Montaner was the architect who drafted the joint Hotel Senator Marbella, as well as the building of 99 houses sealed by the operator. In just three days, the former adviser got the permission after personally requested his handwriting.. The telephone listing, nine pages extension manuscripts, also appears in t eléfono mobile "A.ki" Kujala, one of the major players involved in the White Whale summary of the case by the alleged money laundering. De hecho, la sociedad Royal Marbella States S.L.. Indeed, the Royal Society SL Marbella States. administrada por Kujala, firmó al menos un convenio con el Consistorio marbellí que le permitió edificar una promoción de viviendas de lujo, anexa al hotel Puente Remano, contraria al Plan General de Ordenación Urbana (PGOU) de 1986. Administered by Kujala, at least signed an agreement with the Consistory Marbella that enabled him to build a promotion of luxury homes, annexed to the hotel Bridge Remano, contrary to the General Urban Plan (PGOU) from 1986. Another recurring phone for Rock in its agenda is the well-known promoter Murcian Olive Thomas, also accused in the summary of the case Malaya. Nombres del mundo del José Asenjo. Names of the bull as the world's clever trianero Emilio Munoz, or farmers or Saturnino Buendía Ignacio Gonzalez Sanchez Dalp also have their place in the address book seized, in addition to the singer's Rancapino or "particular" the former deputy leader and socialist Jose Asenjo.

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Insider View translated from the Spanish

Marbella, a beach resort for the "jet set" now emerging as the hub for every mafia connection in Spain. Finally, there is a Swiss connection in the form of the Cultrera-Meninno scandal, which only leads back to Marbella, a beach resort for the "jet set" now emerging as the hub for every Mafia connection in Spain. Felice Cultrera and Gianni Meninno are under investigation in Geneva for fraud and money laundering. Felice Cultrera and Gianni Meninno are under investigation in Geneva for fraud and money laundering. They are also under investigation in Marbella by Judge Blanca Esther Diez, who has uncovered a group of attorneys and judges protecting them. They are also under investigation in Marbella by Judge Esther Blanca Diez, who has uncovered a group of attorneys and judges protecting them. Cultrera and Meninno, who are currently at large, set up corporate fronts in Gibraltar and then made a fortune by selling property that did not belong to them. Cultrera and Meninno, who are currently at large, set up corporate fronts in Gibraltar and then made a fortune by selling property that did not belong to them. Using forged documents, and protected by the Santapaola family of the Italian mafia, they sold the Marbella casino to Italian financier Gioachino del Din, as well as hotels and other real estate on the Costa del Sol. Using forged documents, and protected by the Santapaola family of the Italian Mafia, they sold the Marbella Casino to Italian financier of Gioachino Din, as well as hotels and other real estate on the Costa del Sol. When Spanish police seized Cultrera's address book, they found not only the names of Al-Kassar and Khashoggi, but also that of Philippe Junot, ex-husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco. When Spanish police seized Cultrera's address book, they found not only the names of Al-Kassar and Khashoggi, but also that of Philippe Junot, ex-husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco. Junot's former lawyer, the Argentinean Alberto Mondino, has now become one of Al-Kassar's attorneys. Junot's former lawyer, the Argentinean Alberto Mondino, has now become one of Al-Kassar's attorneys. Also in the address book is the name of Marc Rich, a wealthy Hispanic-American businessman living in Switzerland and sought by the US Internal Revenue Service for tax evasion. Also in the address book is the name of Marc Rich, a wealthy Hispanic-American businessman living in Switzerland and sought by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service for tax evasion. Rich, too, has a villa in Marbella. Rich, too, has a villa in Marbella. Prosecutor Ansermet would like to know whether he can confiscate the frozen funds belonging to Al-Kassar in Switzerland, but neither Spanish judge Garzon, nor his colleague Carlos Bueren, has ever responded to Ansermet's legal query as to whether the Syrian's money is the fruit of drug trafficking. Prosecutor Ansermet would like to know whether he can confiscate the frozen funds belonging to Al-Kassar in Switzerland, but neither Spanish judge Garzon, nor his colleague Carlos Bueren, has ever responded to Ansermet's legal query as to whether the Syrian's money is the fruit of drug trafficking. Ansermet would also like to coordinate his investigations into Cultrera and Meninno with the Spanish judge handling that affair, but has yet to receive a response from Spain. Ansermet would also like to coordinate his investigations into Cultrera and Meninno with the Spanish judge handling that affair, but has yet to receive a response from Spain. This silence may point to problems with the Spanish investigation, or to a lack of confidence in Genevan investigators. This silence may point to problems with the Spanish investigation, or to a lack of confidence in Genevan investigators.

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The Prince of Marbella, Monzer Al Kassar arrested this morning at the airport in Madrid was taken at 10.30 hours

The National Police announced Friday the arrest in Madrid of Syrian arms dealer Monzer Al Kassar by several charges related to terrorism issued by an American court.
Al Kassar is sought on charges of conspiracy to provide support and material resources to a terrorist organization, to kill Americans, to use and acquire anti-aircraft missiles, and money laundering, police said in a statement.
Al Kassar has long resided in Spain and has been nicknamed the "Prince of Marbella" for his opulent lifestyle.
His home in Marbella remains in custody to avoid the loss of evidence or indication, and will be recorded after statement to Al Kassar, police said.
In 1995, Al Kassar was acquitted of a charge in Spain of piracy in connection with the kidnapping in 1985 of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian gunmen.
Al Kassar was taken to court central instruction number six handcuffed and smiling wearing sportswear and suede shoes, hair canoso and well over avejentado that the last time he appeared before the National High Court ten years ago.

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Gil's town plans had not been approved by the Junta de Andalucia

The Marbella Land Registry gives information on ownership of the Land, but not on its planning. It can detail the house that is built as being physically there, but and that it has licences. It is stated that the registry givew the information supplied to it, but it is not a guarantee that it is accurate. This is especially the case with regard to the property description and the price paid.
However, professionals, including Notaries and lawyers, will be held to have known that Gil's town plans had not been approved by the Junta de Andalucia, and therefore permissions granted in conflict with the approved 1986 Plan could not be fully legal.
Therefore, the buildings are illegal and the registered information was known to be incorrect at the time of registration.
The people who gained from the permissions are the ones who should pay the 'price' to reinstate the community for what it has lost. The owners or their advisors should have known the properties were illegal. The developer and contractor and their advisors will have known that the property was illegal. All will have hoped that there would be a storm, they'd ride it out and pay a fine, but that they would get the property and profit.

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Spanish singer Isabel Pantoja has described herself as a victim linked to the Malaya corruption case. For the past three years she has been in a relationship with Julián Muñoz, who was Mayor of Marbella at the time they got together. Speaking in a statement sent to Antena Tres television, she claimed she felt tricked if the published news that Muñoz has been sending large amounts of money to his ex wife Mayte Zaldiver turns out to be true. ‘He told me on repeated occasions that he had no money’, she said. ‘I’ve been working to support him for years!’.

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The Andalucian Ombudsman

The Andalucian Ombudsman, José Chamizo, has also supported the demolition of 334 homes in a total of seven developments in Marbella whose licences were annulled by the Andalucian Supreme Court. He said that what justice ordered had to be carried out, however lamentable it was for the owners of the buildings. He said each owner should be looked at on an individual basis to see if they had been tricked into making the purchase, adding that the judiciary should study the alternatives and take the rights of the owners into account.

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affect expatriates who are used to buying drugs in Spain

The New law, which in some areas has been brought into force early, will affect expatriates who are used to buying drugs in Spain rather than having to face a Spanish speaking doctor. Many doctors in Spain insist on translators who can charge more than a private doctor.

The legislation is to prevent the over use of medicines and health products, guard against inappropriate use, monitor and control given medical prescriptions
It is hoped that greater regulation will create higher quality pharmacists and allow the government to monitor medicines more effectively. The law also provides disease control mechanisms which could cope to restrain outbreaks of avian flu. The law was approved with the help of the disease prevention units of the government with the consent of heath professionals.

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Property Crash

The dive was precipitated last week when Valencian builder Astroc’s shares fell by 62 per cent after planning laws were changed. Since then panic has spread causing the Madrid Bourse (Spain’s Stock Exchange) to topple. Manuel Romera, Director of Madrid’s Institute of Industry said, “I can see a mortgage crisis building. We have a serious property bubble in this country and everyone is in denial; it’s worse than the US”.

Dismay has also set into the banks that have been key investors in the market. The banks have been buoying the market by granting easy access to mortgages and loans. Both Banco Sabadell and BankInter both lost 5 percent of their value on Monday as part of the ongoing nightmare.
Low interest rates that have been repeatedly set by the European banks have provided fuel for a housing boom which has operated in Spain almost free from constraints since the Euro arrived in Spain in 1999. Miguel Fernandez Ordonez, Governor of the Bank of Spain said, “The single monetry policy has meant that excessively loose conditions for our economy have been almost continuous. A less relaxed tone would have been better for our needs.”
The economy of Spain is now so seriously distorted towards the property market that some observers have now predicted an imminent collapse. If this occurs it will have a knock-on effect to the rest of the economy.
Last year alone over 800,000 homes were built in Spain beating the productivity in the housing sector for every other European country; yet the population of Spain still remains below 41 million. There are over 4 million overseas owners of property in Spain.
The boom has been partially created from within Spain with many Spaniards hurrying to jump on the property investment ladder. Many Spaniards own more than three houses and remain ‘sitting’ until a buyer can be found. This has fuelled demand for new housing for a younger generation of would-be investors. With few restrictions in planning and national capital growth little thought has been put into the lack of available end buyers at the top of the pyramid. Homes now owned by investors are now seen as a long term option.
Murcia, with presently one of the highest rates of new development may be one of the hardest hit by the recession as a glut of unwanted property comes on the market.
Bernard Connelly, Global Strategist for Banque AIG and former head of economic research for the European Commission said, “Spain is going to face the very direst of economic circumstances: a cycle of recession, deflation and widespread private sector default – a depression in fact.

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Dozens of stars from the worlds of sport, music and TV

Dozens of stars from the worlds of sport, music and TV are choosing the elegant Spanish resort as their number one holiday choice.

And many have dabbled in the booming Andalucian property market and bought second homes there.

Marbella and nearby Puerto Banus are favourites with the rich and famous because they boast fine restaurants, exclusive bars and shops full of designer clothes.

David and Victoria Beckham chose the resort's exclusive five-star Marbella Club hotel for a relaxing break when Posh was pregnant with Brooklyn.

And more recently comedian Frank ''Foo Foo'' Lamarr and Coronation Street actress Liz Dawn, who plays Vera Duckworth, have both splashed out on luxury apartments. And Liz's old Street pal Beverley Callard, who played Rovers' barmaid Liz McDonald, has moved to Marbella full-time where she owns a sumptuous villa.

Bury-based You've Been Framed presenter Lisa Riley jets out to Marbella four times a year for party holidays with her pals.

Lisa said: ''I love it. People are so used to seeing famous faces in Marbella that you never get any hassle. I wouldn't go anywhere else.''

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MARBELLA TOWN HALL

MARBELLA TOWN HALL has put a reserve of 34,650 euros on the Rolls Royce that Jesus Gil used during his time as mayor. The present mayor of Marbella, Angeles Muñoz, announced last August that the Rolls was to be auctioned as it is no longer in use and is being held by the Local Police.
The decision was made to sell off the vehicle partly because of its value and also because of what it symbolises. The car was valued by a municipal specialist. The Rolls Royce along with the BMW X5 that ex-Mayor Marisol Yague used were sent to auction last year but not sold due to the lack of interest by the public. The Rolls Royce was valued at 45,000 euros and the BMW at 25,514 euros. The Rolls Royce Silver Spur was registered in 1992; it has eight cylinders and 173 horsepower. The luxury vehicle was used on various occasions for official undertakings and gala openings. Gil also enjoyed the use of limousines and horse-drawn carriages during his mayoral tenure.

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Fernando del Valle

Fernando del Valle, the founder of the firm of lawyers in Marbella where he has focused the police investigation linked to the network of money laundering, has been hosting his constitutional right not to testify. El detenido no ha hablado ni ante la Policía, ni ante el juez que decretó el lunes por la noche su ingreso en prisión. The detainee has not spoken either to the Police or to the judge who ruled on Monday evening his detention.

Según fuentes cercanas al caso, Fernando del Valle, ha estado “muy tranquilo y sereno” durante las seis horas que ha permanecido en las dependencias del Juzgado de Instrucción número 5 de Marbella. According to sources close to the case, Fernando Valley, has been "very quiet and calm" during the six hours that has remained on the premises of the magistrate No. 5 in Marbella. El letrado, que desde el lunes por la noche está en prisión incondicional, se ha negado en todo momento a hacer declaraciones. The lawyer, who since Monday night is in prison unconditional, it has consistently refused to make statements.

El juez de Marbella (Málaga) Miguel Ángel Torres decretó en la madrugada del lunes la prisión incondicional para Fernando del Valle Vergara, chileno de 57 años, como presunto "cerebro" de la red de blanqueo de dinero que operaba en la Costa del Sol. The judge in Marbella (Malaga) Miguel Angel Torres ordered in the early hours of Monday unconditional prison for Fernando del Valle Vergara, a Chilean of 57 years, as alleged "mastermind" of the money laundering network operating on the Costa del Sol.

A media mañana del martes, del Valle ha ingresado en la prisión de provincial de Alhaurín de la Torre. At mid-morning on Tuesday, the Valley has entered the provincial prison of Alhaurin de la Torre.

Por el contrario, el juez ha dejado en libertad bajo fianza de 30.000 euros a una secretaria de su bufete, cuya identidad se desconoce. By contrast, the judge has been released on bail of 30,000 euros to a secretary of his law firm, whose identity is unknown.



Nueve de los 49 detenidos ya están en prisión Nine of the 49 detainees were already in jail

Con el ingreso en prisión del abogado Fernando del Valle, el juez Miguel Ángel Torres ha enviado ya a la cárcel a nueve de los 41 detenidos en esta operación, la mayor desarrollada en España contra el blanqueo de dinero. With the detention of lawyer Fernando del Valle, Judge Miguel Angel Torres has already sent to jail for nine of the 41 arrested in this operation, the largest developed in Spain against money laundering. Sin embargo, los arrestados podrían ser diez si se confirma la detención de un ciudadano francés que ha declarado esta madrugada y al que se pudo ver salir de los juzgados en un furgón policial, junto con un marroquí para que se decretó prisión. However, those arrested could be ten if it is confirmed the arrest of a French citizen who has declared this morning and saw that leave courthouse in a police van, along with a Moroccan who was ordered to prison.

El abogado Fernando del Valle, chileno de nacionalidad, de 54 años, se dio de alta en el Colegio de Abogados de Málaga el 10 de enero de 1980 con el número de colegiación 579. The lawyer Fernando del Valle, a Chilean national, 54 years old, was given up for the Bar Association of Malaga on January 10, 1980 with the number of membership 579.

Entre estas actividades ilegales que se podrían haber beneficiado de esta trama constan el tráfico ilícito de drogas, homicidios, tenencia ilícita de armas, prostitución coactiva, secuestros, ajustes de cuentas, estafas internacionales, evasión de impuestos y fraudes bursátiles, entre otras. These illegal activities that could have benefited from this scheme consists illicit drug trafficking, murder, illegal possession of weapons, prostitution coercive kidnappings, the settling of scores, international scam, tax evasion and securities fraud, among others.

Los agentes practicaron 15 detenciones el pasado jueves en ése despacho de letrados, en el corazón financiero de Marbella, mientras otras tres personas fueron arrestadas en la oficina de la misma empresa en el núcleo de población marbellí de San Pedro Alcántara. The players practiced 15 arrests last Thursday of lawyers in this office, in the financial heart of Marbella, while three others were arrested at the office of the same company at the heart of Marbella population of San Pedro Alcantara.

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