ARRESTED 60-year-old, who is originally from Blackpool, but has been living in the Marbella area of Spain

Armed Naval and Gardai personnel with cocaine which was seized from a yacht off the west coast of Ireland

 

A BLACKPOOL man has been arrested for allegedly being part of a £250m international cocaine smuggling racket.

 

Police, acting under orders from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) – dubbed Britain’s FBI –swooped in the town to capture John Alan Brooks.

The 60-year-old, who is originally from Blackpool, but has been living in the Marbella area of Spain, was found at an address in Marton.

His arrest comes as part of a major investigation which was launched in 2008 when a 1.5 tonnes shipment of cocaine was seized off the coast of Ireland.

The luxury yacht Dances With Waves was carrying drugs with an estimated value of 300m euros or £250m.

Naval officers boarded her after she got into trouble 170 miles off the south west coast of Ireland.

Brooks is known to have had addresses previously in both the Commonedge Road area of Blackpool and in Lytham and St Annes.

It is believed he was visiting family members in Blackpool when police moved in.

A spokesman for SOCA confirmed: “A man allegedly linked to a plot to smuggle 1.5 tonnes of cocaine into the UK on board the boat Dances with Waves was arrested as part of a Serious Organised Crime Agency investigation.

“John Alan Brooks has been charged with conspiracy to import cocaine.

“He is originally from Blackpool, but has been living in the Benahavis area of Spain,

“He appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Birmingham Crown Court this coming Monday.”

The drugs seizure was reportedly the largest in Irish history when it was made in November 2008.

Dances With Waves – a 60ft ocean-going yacht – had set sail from Trinidad and was heading for the UK when it got into difficulties in stormy weather.

It was reported 70 bales of cocaine were on the verge of capsizing when Naval officers moved in.

Authorities were forced to board the ship in “horrendous weather conditions” to prevent evidence being lost in the seven-metre swells.

Experts said although the yacht could travel at high speeds, it was not designed for rough weather.

Under armed guard, the crippled yacht was sailed to Castletownbere, west Cork, where plastic-wrapped bales which filled the hull were unloaded and stacked on the quayside.

n Philip Doo, 52, from Brixham, David Mufford, 44, of Torquay, and Christopher Wiggins, 42, with an address in Spain’s Costa del Sol were arrested on the yacht.

They later pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

All received 10-year sentences at Cork Circuit Criminal Court in May 2009

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Attacks on Montreal lawyers lead to mistrial in cabbie murder

 

Violent intimidation tactics targeting Montreal lawyers appear to be working. A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a murdered cab driver after the defence counsel suddenly quit. Joseph La Leggia, said to be despondent over the savage beating last Friday of fellow lawyer Gilles Dore, withdrew "for medical and personal reasons," Judge Michael Stober announced in court. La Leggia had himself been badly beaten outside his home last December, the third lawyer so targeted in the past 12 months. The lawyer represented Nigel John, accused of second-degree murder in the Nov. 2009 death of taxi driver Mohammed Nehar-Belaid. The judge discharged the jury when La Leggia's co-counsel said they couldn't continue in La Leggia's absence. "This is an exceptional situation," said Crown prosecutor Helene Di Salvo. "We never expected that to happen in the middle of the trial, but there were no other options." The legal community has been on edge because of the three unsolved attacks. Last Friday lawyer Gilles Dore was beaten into a coma with a baseball bat outside his Montreal home. He represents three bikers facing trial for murder and gangsterism. Last month, the home of business litigation lawyer Thomas Kiriazi was targeted by Molotov cocktails. On Tuesday, someone left a suspicious package at the home of Montreal civil lawyer Bogdan Catanu. But fears were eased when police said the package was not meant as a threat and was simply an empty suitcase that had been dropped off by a bystander.

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Son of Mom Boucher back in jail after Joliette charges

 

Francis Boucher, the son of notorious Hells Angels leader Maurice (Mom) Boucher, is back behind bars after he is alleged to have violated his statutory release on a 10-year prison sentence. The younger Boucher, known by the nickname Le Fils when he was part of a Hells Angels underling gang, was sentenced in 2002 after pleading guilty to charges filed from Operation Springtime 2001, a major police investigation into the biker gang's Nomad chapter in Montreal. Boucher, 36, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, drug trafficking and participation in a criminal organization. The charges involved crimes committed during a bloody conflict between the Hells Angels and other organized crime groups in Quebec from 1994 to 2002. Boucher was able to leave a federal penitentiary in 2009, after he reached the twothirds mark of his sentence. The Gazette has learned that he was returned to a penitentiary in Laval this year and is scheduled to have a hearing before the Parole Board of Canada in December. The board is to decide whether to revoke his statutory release officially. His release is believed to have been suspended when Boucher was arrested and charged on Aug. 31 in Joliette with harassment of, and threatening to kill or cause bodily harm to, a woman. According to court records, he has been detained since his arrest by Repentigny police. His next court date in that case is scheduled for Nov. 16. Maurice (Mom) Boucher is serving three life sentences for orchestrating the murders of two prison guards and the attempted murder of another.

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New Orleans homicide rate is 10 times the national average. But gangs and drugs don't explain it.

New Orleans

At half-past midnight, as Halloween stretched into All Saints Day, a thick crowd of revelers was milling around the corner of Bourbon and St. Louis streets in New Orleans' famed French Quarter when a series of gun shots erupted. On security footage later released by police, the crowd scattered as suddenly as a school of bait fish at the approach of a barracuda.

But for eight in the crowd it wasn't quick enough. Seven were wounded and one, 25-year-old Albert Glover, the target of the attacker, died on the scene.

Just over an hour later and six blocks away, gunfire rang out again. This time Joshua Lewis, 19, and three other teenagers were cut down in a fusillade of 32 bullets fired by a single assailant following a brief altercation. Lewis later died at a local hospital. In all 16 people were shot in New Orleans on Halloween night, a butcher's bill that shook even the jaded citizens of America's deadliest city.

The violence left New Orleans Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas strapped to the hot seat. Appointed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu in May of 2010, Mr. Serpas—the former police chief of Nashville, Tenn.—came into office vowing to stem a tide of violent crime and reform what he called "one of the most dysfunctional police departments in American history." In Mr. Serpas's first 18 months more than 60 officers have been fired or have resigned under investigation, including members of the department's top brass. Overall, nearly 200 officers have left for a variety of reasons.

Over the same period, the city's murder rate has risen. As of this week, 164 homicides have been committed in New Orleans in 2011, on pace to eclipse last year's total of 172. To put that number in perspective, New York City, with more than 20 times the population of New Orleans, had 536 murders last year. If New York had New Orleans's homicide rate, more than 4,000 people would have been murdered there last year, about 11 every day.

In response to public outcry over the bloodshed, Mr. Serpas has offered a plethora of reform ideas. His public statements are peppered with references to his 65-point plan to remake the department, the adoption of crime-interdiction strategies such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, and enhanced community policing efforts to help repair the police department's tattered image.

Enlarge Image

Associated Press

The French Quarter in New Orleans

With his outlines, flow charts and ready recitation of reams of statistics, Mr. Serpas sounds every inch the embodiment of a modern police commander. Early in his tenure such proficiency was a welcome change from the questionable competence of his predecessors. But as the murders have persisted and department morale has sagged, his penchant for data-speak has worn thin on the citizenry.

To be fair, from the outset Mr. Serpas has been somewhat circumspect about his department's ability to reduce homicides. When pressed he is apt to say things like there is no "silver bullet" and he comes close at times to suggesting that the murder epidemic is beyond his power to stem—a point which, whatever its accuracy, does not instill confidence in a traumatized populace.

At a city council hearing following the Halloween shootings, Mr. Serpas was pressed to identify the source of the murder problem. Were more police the solution? Not really, he responded. He's brought in nationally recognized researchers to advise the department on the root of the murder problem, but they didn't have any easy answers: "People who've studied homicide their whole life say 'Why is that number that way?'" he told the council.

In March, the Justice Department (which is negotiating a consent decree regarding court supervision of the New Orleans Police Department) released an analysis of the city's crime problem that did contain some insights. Contrary to popular perception, it found that New Orleans' overall crime rate—including its rate of violent crime—is lower than that of other cities of comparable size. It's even lower than the crime rate in such family-friendly destinations as Orlando, Fla.

But that news comes with a giant caveat: The Big Easy's homicide rate (52 homicides per 100,000 residents) is 10 times higher than the national average and almost five times that of other cities of its size.

Why is the city such a murder outlier? In many jurisdictions, the Justice Department notes, gangs and drugs are principal drivers of the murder rate. Not so in New Orleans, which has comparatively little gang activity or organized violence related to the drug trade. Nor do the killings tend to happen in back alleys or vacant buildings as they often do in other places. More often they occur in residential neighborhoods in close proximity to witnesses. And more often the motivation is not random robbery, but revenge or argument.

In short, the killing in New Orleans is personal. "What appear to be different about homicides in New Orleans are the circumstances of the events," Justice Department investigators noted. "In reading the narratives of the offenses, one is struck by their ordinariness—arguments and disputes that escalate into homicide."

This presents Mr. Serpas and his troops with a different sort of policing challenge. Law enforcement can disrupt gangs and target drug kingpins. But what does it do about a culture in which Glocks have become the preferred tool for settling petty disputes?

The word Mr. Serpas and other officials frequently invoke to describe their approach is "holistic," a term more commonly associated with ashrams and yoga gurus than big city cops. But at bottom, the superintendent insists, the bloodshed in New Orleans isn't going to be solved just by putting more cops on the beat or cracking down on minor violators. After all, Mr. Serpas noted, the Halloween night shooting of eight people on Bourbon Street happened with policemen standing a few feet away from the gunman. "It did not make a difference in this young man's mind."

Changing the mindset of young men who settle beefs with bullets is a tall order for any community. To make an enduring dent in the murder rate, the cops will need to get into the neighborhoods, at a granular level, using street intelligence, diversion programs and targeted sweeps on a sustained level. And even then, breaking the city's crippling culture of violence will take more than a reformed police force can provide.

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The King of Spain’s son-in-law was at the centre of a corruption storm today as he came under investigation for siphoning off public money.

Inaki Urdangarin - the husband of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia's youngest daughter Infanta Cristina - is suspected of misappropriating cash paid into an NGO.

The former handball player now faces a possible interrogation by investigating judge Jose Castro  and risks causing huge embarrassment for the royals.

It is claimed that his non-profit company, Instituto Noos, was given an enormous 2.3million euros (just under £2million) by the Balearic Islands’ regional government to organise two conferences on tourism and sport in 2005 and 2006. 

The judicial investigation is looking into whether the bills for the events were inflated and if the money ended up in private companies run by Urdangarin, who is Duke of Palma, the capital of Majorca.

Urdangarin, 43, left Instituto Noos in 2006, months after the exorbitant sums paid by the Balearic government were revealed by the Socialist Party.

 

 

He said today: 'I cannot comment about on-going judicial proceedings.'

The prosecution claims Urdangarin and his associate Diego Torres created a network of societies with which they diverted public and private funds received by Instituto Noos.

Under suspicion: The former handball star is charged with creating a network of societies into which he diverted private and public funds

Regal scandal: Princess Cristina and Urdangarin (far right) pose with Spain's royal family King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Crown Prince Felipe and wife Princess Letizia and Princess Elena

They are under investigation for document falsification, corruption, fraud and embezzlement, and Torres’s home has been searched.

The Royal Household expressed its 'absolute respect' for the legal decisions and added that it has 'nothing to say at this moment' as this is 'an investigation which must follow its course'.

The Duke and Duchess, who married in 1997, now live in Washington, DC. The couple have four children. 

Urdangarin played in Spain’s national handball team at three Olympic Games, captaining the side for Sydney 2000.

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James Murdoch giving evidence for a second time to the MPs' select committee

James Murdoch giving evidence for a second time to the MPs' select committee, during which he claimed News of the World's former editor Tom Myler and lawyer Tom Crone did not tell him about 'widespread criminality' at the newspaper. Photograph: AFP/Getty

James Murdoch has accused the News of the World's former editor and senior lawyer of not telling him about suggestions of wider phone hacking at the newspaper in 2008.

 

Giving evidence for the second time about the News of the World phone-hacking scandal before MPs on the Commons culture, media and sport committee, Murdoch insisted that the context of the bombshell "for Neville" email was withheld from him by Colin Myler and Tom Crone when they discussed the payout to Gordon Taylor, the Professional Footballers' Association chief, in June 2008.

 

Murdoch, who oversees the now-defunct News of the World's publisher News International as News Corporation's deputy chief operating officer, told MPs that Crone and Myler had misled parliament with their testimony in the summer.

 

Crone, the former head of legal at the Sunday red-top, said in a written letter to the committee earlier this week that recently published emails appear to show that Murdoch knew about the "for Neville" email in May 2008 – more than two years before he maintains he was told about widespread hacking at the paper.

 

"After the resignation of [former News of the World editor Andy] Coulson, [former News International chairman Les] Hinton brought Myler in to clean things up and bring newspaper forward," Murdoch told MPs. "If he had known that there was wider-spread criminality I think he should have told me."

 

He later insisted that Myler and Crone did not "discuss elements of widespread criminality" with him in the 2008 meetings. He added that previous evidence given to the committee by Crone and Myler was "inconsistent and not right".

 

Murdoch said: "I've had time to reflect on all of these events and it is appropriate to reflect and to think that the whole company is humbled by this and learn why we couldn't get to grips with it as fast as we would have liked."

 

In a fractious and detailed line of questioning halfway into the session, Labour MP Tom Watson revealed that he had met the former NoW chief reporter Neville Thurlbeck on Thursday morning immediately before the hearing and he had told him that Crone had intended to show Murdoch the "for Neville" email in May 2008.

 

The "for Neville" in the subject line of the email in question is believed to refer to Thurlbeck. He maintains that he was not involved in or aware of phone hacking at the News of the World.

 

Watson quoted Thurlbeck as saying: "This is not some vague memory, I was absolutely on a knife edge. Tom took it to him. The following week I said 'did you show him the email?' He said 'yes I did'. Now he can't remember whether he showed it to Mr Murdoch or not."

 

Murdoch replied: "I remember what I was told at the time and I was not told at the time."

 

Ending his questioning, Watson likened News International to the mafia and asked Murdoch whether he had every heard of the phrase "omertà", which means a mafia vow of silence.

 

An audibly irritated Murdoch replied that he had not. Watson then accused the News Corp executive of being "the first mafia boss in history" who did not know what was going on in his organisation.

 

Murdoch responded by telling Watson, who has persistently pursued News Corp over the phone-hacking scandal for the past two years, he thought the comment was "inappropriate".

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John Philip Stirling, 60, is in a Florida jail after U.S. authorities allegedly seized 400 kilograms of cocaine from his vessel

 

Phil Stirling, shown here in 2000, told U.S. authorities there’s nothing wrong with cocaine trafficking, and said the States should mind its own business.

Photograph by: RIC ERNST, PNG

A self-described drug smuggler who walked away unscathed from two high-profile drug busts in B.C. has landed himself in hot water south of the border.

John Philip Stirling, 60, is in a Florida jail after U.S. authorities allegedly seized 400 kilograms of cocaine from his vessel on Oct. 18.

According to U.S. court documents, Stirling, in an unprompted outburst while being transported to a detention centre, said there was nothing wrong with cocaine trafficking and that the U.S. should mind its own business.

“He further remarked that if Canada didn’t have such high taxes, they could get legitimate jobs,” said the affidavit.

Stirling’s defiant comments did not come as a surprise to retired RCMP Sgt. Pat Convey, who spent years chasing the man.

“That sounds like our man, Mr. Stirling,” said Convey, reached at his Vancouver Island home.

Stirling was a “big, flamboyant, boisterous guy who enjoyed taking chances,” said Convey. “That’s what he was about. He was a drug trafficker. I think he’s been that all his life.”

Stirling — who had admitted to The Province in 2002 that he started smuggling dope when he was 16 — was skippering the Atlantis V when it was spotted on a routine patrol by the U.S. Coast Guard about 400 kilometres north of Colombia on Oct. 17.

When inspectors boarded the ship, they allegedly found 358 packages of drugs — mostly cocaine, but also some heroin and methamphetamines.

Stirling and his crew — fellow Canadians Thomas Arthur Henderson and Randy Wilfred Theriault, Colombian Jose Manuel Calvo Herrera and Italian Luigi Barbaro — were arrested and charged.

According to Barbaro’s statement, the ship departed from Santa Marta, Colombia, and was headed to Australia.

Stirling, who was sentenced to five years in jail in the 1980s on cocaine-related charges, had been arrested twice before in similar circumstances.

In a highly publicized case, Stirling was caught by U.S. authorities off Washington’s Cape Alava in 2001 with 2½ tonnes of cocaine, worth more than $250 million, aboard the Western Wind.

He was turned over to the Canadians. Later, he claimed he was an RCMP informant and that he was transporting the cocaine for the Hells Angels. No charges were laid.

Stirling was again arrested in 2006 after authorities found 155 bales of marijuana aboard a vessel near Vancouver Island. The charges were stayed.

Convey believes Stirling might finally get the reckoning he has eluded in Canada.

“The Americans play a different game from us, and quite frankly, our system leaves a hell of a lot to be desired,” he said.

“If they proceed with the case and they got him with the many hundred kilos [of cocaine], he’s going in for a long time.”

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Frank Lucas, the Harlem drug kingpin whose life inspired the 2007 film starring Denzel Washington, was charged with theft by deception

Jim Cooper/APFrank Lucas, the man that Denzel Washington portrayed in the movie "American Gangster," is shown in New York in this file photo from Nov. 2, 2007. 

 

Frank Lucas, the Harlem drug kingpin whose life inspired the 2007 film starring Denzel Washington, was charged with theft by deception last month after he tried to bilk the U.S. Treasury out of $17,345 meant for his teenage son, authorities said.

The Social Security check was issued to Lucas in early October, said Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, but he told government officials the payment was lost when he changed addresses and asked them to send another.

The 81-year-old Lucas — who moved to Newark in the 1980s after he served prison time for running a massive drug empire that smuggled nearly pure heroin into New York and New Jersey — allegedly cashed both checks, Carter said.

Lucas faces up to five years in prison if convicted, Carter said. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Newark on Nov. 28.

The Social Security checks were meant for Lucas’ 15-year-old son, Raymond, said Richie Roberts, the former prosecutor’s detective who prosecuted Lucas in 1976 and later became his defense attorney and confidant.

The government provides Social Security benefits to a child if their parent is unable to care for them due to age or infirmity. Lucas, who once claimed he earned $1 million per day selling his "Blue Magic" brand of heroin, is now confined to a wheelchair, suffers from diabetes and severe arthritis and is unable to provide for his son, Roberts said.

Through his attorney, Lucas has denied any wrongdoing.

The theft charge is a far cry from the criminal activity that allowed Lucas to rise from a penniless Harlem resident in 1946 to one of the country’s most infamous and wealthy drug lords by the 1970s. After moving from North Carolina, Lucas’ rise to prominence began under famed Harlem numbers boss Bumpy "Ellsworth" Johnson.

When Johnson died in 1968, Lucas set out to break the Italian Mafia’s stranglehold on the drug trade in New York, importing nearly pure heroin from Southeast Asia that he sold on the streets of Harlem and Newark. Lucas controlled the gang, referred to as the "Country Boys" from a towering mansion in Teaneck.

Roberts, who oversaw the Essex County Prosecutor’s Bureau of Narcotics in the 1970s, obtained an indictment for Lucas when he shut down a Newark heroin ring led by Lucas’ brother, Vernon. Roberts prosecuted Frank Lucas, winning a conviction that would have sent the kingpin to prison for more than 60 years.

But Lucas became a government informant and his testimony led to the arrest of countless drug dealers and crooked police officers. He served less than 10 years of his sentence.

"His cooperation resulted in the arrest of anybody and everybody he ever sold a dime bag too," Roberts said.

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Deadly shooting probe spreads to Vancouver suburb

 

The investigation into the slaying of a man gunned down Sunday morning in Vancouver has spread to the suburban community of Port Moody, CBC News has learned. Axel Curtis, 29, was hit when at least six shots were fired in broad daylight, about 9 a.m. Sunday at the corner of Ash and 7th Avenue West as he walked his dog. Police said Curtis was known to them and had past gang affiliations. There were no other injuries, and witnesses said the assailant, a man in a black hoodie, left the area on foot. Neighbours of a Port Moody apartment also frequented by Curtis say there was a sudden spike in police activity around the building Saturday night, hours before the shooting. On Monday, police searched the seventh-floor apartment, owned by Curtis’s father. Police would not comment on the Port Moody side of the investigation, but a female neighbour — who asked not to be identified — said the night before Curtis was killed in Vancouver police and emergency vehicles appeared to be stationed outside the Port Moody condo. "There was an ambulance ready to go,” the neighbour said. “With the police officers … driving back and forth, which struck me as a little strange, that maybe they were anticipating something happening." Watched for months The woman said officers appeared to be watching the apartment for months, and believes local residents should have been warned if violence was anticipated at the building. "They're kind of denying what I think is the public's right, or the people living on that floor's right … that there's possibly a safety concern." Curtis had previous convictions for drug trafficking, firearms possession and obstructing police. Curtis featured briefly in a CBC documentary on Vancouver gangsters, where he suggested to a female police officer who stopped him on the street in Downtown Vancouver that he had left the gang lifestyle. “I'm a changed man,” he told the officer in the production entitled “The Gangster Next Door.” “Oh, I don’t think so,” the officer replied.

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Three Gibraltar police injured in collision with Guardia Civil boat off Gibraltar

 

Three Gibraltar police have been injured after their boat was in collision with a Guardia Civil vessel in the waters off the Rock on Monday night. Spanish media say the collision took place in Spanish waters close to La Línea during a joint chase of drug traffickers who were in an inflatable craft. The fact the Gibraltar and the Spanish authorities were both chasing the drug traffickers showed that in this case there is no talk of any interference having taken place between the two. Spain has repeatedly requested clear protocols to be established to avoid accidents in situations such as this. The three men were injured as a result of the impact between the two boats, and were seriously hurt. All three had fallen into the water and were rescued by the Guardia. One man with a suspected head fracture was taken to La Linea Hospital but is now at St Bernards on the rock. The other two were taken to the Punta de Europa hospital in Algeciras where they were x-rayed and cleared of fractures. An investigation is underway and it is unclear at this stage whether the drug traffickers got away. The Royal Gibraltar Police vessel is reported to be extensively damaged, including its engines. It’s the latest of a chain of incidents between the Gibraltar Police and the Spanish Guardia Civil.

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Waiter found guilty of killing Ukrainian call-girl in Mijas

 

THE man charged with killing and dismembering a Ukrainian call-girl in Mijas in April last year has been found guilty. The public prosecution was asking for 14 years for manslaughter and five months for desecration of the body. Alla Mefodova, 36, disappeared in Fuengirola, and police only recovered the remains of her hands. DNA tests confirmed they belonged to her. The man confessed that he had been out drinking on the night of April 5, 2010, and enlisted the services of a call-girl who identified herself as Bianca. It was the six calls he made to her phone which led police to him. He told the police they were together at his house for several hours during which they drunk a bottle of whisky and took cocaine. He claimed they began to argue, probably about money. He says that he fell asleep and doesn’t remember how the woman died, but admitted that when he saw she was dead, he went into shock, considering calling the police or committing suicide, but that instead, he took her personal belongings and clothes and burned them. Later, he bought a saw, cut her body into pieces and put them into bags which he dumped in rubbish containers in the area. He claimed to have fainted several times in the process. The waiter from Castilla-La Mancha had no criminal record and had never been accused of violent behaviour. Just a month earlier, Alla had managed to bring her 17-year-old son to Spain, after leaving him with her mother in the Ukraine when he was just seven years old. He and a close friend reported her missing.

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Michael Jackson sisters happy with justice

 

Michael Jackson's sisters La Toya and Rebbie are relieved and happy after a court jury found the late pop superstar's personal physician Conrad Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's anaesthetic-induced death. After the verdict was announced Monday, his sisters let fans know they were happy with the climax of the trial. "Victory was served," said La Toya, while her sister added: "I'm just happy it's over with. Nothing will bring him back, but I'm just happy he (Murray) was found guilty." La Toya confirmed she was the courtroom guest who said "Yes!" as the verdict was read. The Jackson family has been a constant presence in court throughout the trial and Janet Jackson cut short her Australian tour to be at Monday's climax. She was joined by brothers Randy and Jermaine and her parents Joe and Katherine, contactmusic.com reported. A statement from Katherine and Joe Jackson read: "We have been waiting for this moment for a very long time and we couldn't hold back tears of joy in the courtroom. Even though nothing can bring back our son, justice has finally been served!" The two added: "We can't wait to go home and share this day with Michael's children." The 50-year-old Jackson died June 25, 2009 at his Holmby Hills estate in Los Angeles when he was preparing for his comeback series of 50 sold-out London concerts. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office ruled Jackson died of "acute propofol intoxication". Prosecutors accused 58-year-old Murray of failing to properly monitor Jackson after giving him a lethal dose of propofol. They contended that the cardiologist repeatedly acted with gross negligence, repeatedly denied appropriate care to his patient, and that it was Murray's repeated incompetence and unskilled acts that led to Jackson's death. Murray was a little bit shocked by Monday's decision, Xinhua reported. He was handcuffed after the verdict was read and was immediately remanded to custody in county jail without bail pending his sentencing Nov 29. At the conclusion of the six-week trial, the seven-men, five-women jury read the long-expected verdict. Murray, who faces up to four years in prison, remained stone-faced as the verdict was announced, showing no visible reaction. The jury deliberated for about eight-and-a-half-hour before reaching a verdict. When the verdict was announced, some cries of "yes" could be heard from the courtroom audience. Jackson fans were seen celebrating when the news spread outside the courthouse. Droves of fans gathering outside the courthouse were elated by the news. One man, who asked not be named, said this was a victory for Jackson and his family. "Murray is guilty because he failed to call 911, this is negligence for a doctor", he said.

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GUILTY! Michael Jackson's doctor found guilty of manslaughter in King of Pop's death

To many of his devoted patients, Conrad Murray was a caring doctor who would offer treatment for free to the poor.

But his secret double life as a deadbeat dad and a compulsive womaniser led him to take a lucrative job as Michael Jackson's personal drug doctor.

Desperate for cash to pay his mounting debts, Murray took the lucrative post injecting Jackson - no questions asked - with nightly doses of the knock-out sleep drug that ultimately killed the world's biggest star. 

Murray's $1.2m Las Vegas mansion was about to be repossessed after he fell $96,000 behind with the mortgage in 2009 when Jackson asked him to travel to London with him as his full-time physician, official documents reveal.

His two medical practices in Nevada and Texas faced $631,000 in court judgments and he was late paying a $64,000 personal loan and thousands of pounds in child support.

The Grenada-born doctor's spiraling debts were the reason Murray demanded $4.8m from Jackson when he was first offered the job, said friends. He later settled for $160,000-a-month.

Hours after being convicted of causing the death of the King of Pop, Murray was revealed as the King of the Cads.

Murray, who is married, has fathered at least seven children with six women, most of them out of wedlock.

According to court records, he has also been sued more than a dozen times for claims including breach of contract and unpaid child support.

 

 

 

In April, 2009, Murray was sentenced to 10 days in jail for non-payment of child support and was ordered to spend 25 days behind bars for the same reason in 2007. On both occasions, he eventually paid up to avoid going to prison.

Partner: Nicole Alvarez, 29, told the jury she had been living with Murray for the last three to four years and had a son with him. She said he called her while her was in the ambulance with Jackson en route to hospital

Prosecution witness: Sade Anding was a cocktail waitress who met Murray in Houston was on the phone to him when Michael Jackson's heart stopped

 

More women: The court heard from Michelle Bella (L) an exotic dancer Murray met in Las Vegas, and Bridget Morgan (R) a former girlfriend who testified she called Murray earlierthe morning Jackson died

He was also arrested twice on charges brought by former girlfriends, once for fraudulent breach of trust and once for domestic violence, although he was never convicted.

While still living with his doctor wife, Blanche, and their two children in Las Vegas, Murray was also paying the $2,564-a-month rent on a flat in Santa Monica, California, for his 29-year-old actress lover Nicole Alvarez.

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‘Notorious gangster’ shot dead

 

man, who police described as a “notorious gangster and shooter,” was shot dead on Tuesday night. David “Pickles” Thomas, 39, was shot once in the face by a gunman at Wharton Street, Laventille. His death pushed the murder toll to 303 for the year compared with 400 for the same period last year. Thomas was the 33th person to be murdered since the state of emergency was declared on August 21. A report said Thomas was liming near a dirt track  around 9 pm when a man accosted him and shot him in the face. Officers of the Homicide Bureau, Port-of-Spain, and Besson Street Police Station responded. He was rushed to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police said Thomas was killed at the same location where gang leader, Anthony “Thirteen” de Vignes, alias Tony Kingsdale, was fatally shot  on June 15, 2008. Detectives said there were many attempts made on Thomas’ life. Residents claimed even though he “was living a certain lifestyle” he was very polite. Homicide officers are continuing investigations.

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Body found in search for Dublin drug addict killed over $4,000 gang debt

 

Irish police have recovered the body of a drug addict murdered over a debt of just a few thousand dollars. Ciaran Noonan, a 29-year-old father of one, was abducted near his East Wall home in Dublin on October 20th. His body was discovered in a ditch on farmland five miles from the Meath town of Trim on Friday night. Noonan’s family visited the site and laid flowers after the body was removed and taken to Tallaght hospital for a post mortem. Police believe Noonan was beaten to death after he was snatched in broad daylight on Russell Avenue in the East Wall. A priest in County Meath received a phone call last week with information about the location of the addict’s body. Speaking to the media, officers outlined their belief that Noonan was killed over a small drug debt to a Dublin gang, believed to be no more than $4,000. The gang had forced Noonan to collect money from other addicts in the north inner city but it is believed he used the money to feed his own habit and ran foul of the gang’s notorious leader. Noonan was heard shouting "I’m dead" as he was hit with an iron bar and dragged into the back of a car. Officers believe the gang intended to beat Noonan severely to force him or his family to pay his drug debt but the punishment beating went horribly wrong. Two women, arrested on suspicion of withholding evidence relating to the kidnapping, have been released without charge. Noonan’s mother Geraldine told reporters: “We had hoped that Ciaran would be found alive. At least now we can give him a funeral.”

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Maurice Boland launches iTalk FM radio

 

THIS month radio presenter, Maurice Boland, will launch iTalk FM, a new radio station on the Costa del Sol. The radio station will be based at the Five Star Kempinski Hotel in Estepona, according to Boland. Presenters include: Mat Court, Jack Jackson, Stephen Ritson, Sheila Sanderson , David Jelley, Richie Allan, and Maurice Boland, according to a statement from the presenter.

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A man who fled to Spain after being charged in connection with a terrifying robbery has been jailed for 10 years

 

A man who fled to Spain after being charged in connection with a terrifying robbery has been jailed for 10 years. Stephen Devalda provided a motorbike used by two robbers to get to and from the scene of a cash-in-transit raid. The robbers, who were carrying an imitation firearm and a machete, attacked a security guard collecting money from an Asda supermarket. Devalda, of Stanton Avenue, Salford, was arrested and charged in 2007 but he went on to skip bail and fled to Spain. A joint operation between the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and Spanish police was launched – and they tracked him down in Malaga in March. CCTV of the robbery Devalda, 28, who pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to rob and a bail offence, has now been handed a sentence of 10 years and three months behind bars. Detective Inspector Simon Cheyte said: “This was a pre-planned and violent attack which has left the security guard so traumatised and distressed that he has not been able to return to his normal work duties.  “This investigation was carried out by a small team over a protracted period of time. They showed dedication and determination to bring this offender to justice and their resolve to succeed has lead to the conviction of a member of an organised and dangerous criminal gang from the Salford area of Manchester. “Thankfully these types of offences are extremely rare but we take them very seriously and are committed to carrying out full and thorough investigations to identify those responsible. “This should demonstrate the lengths Lancashire Constabulary will go to in order to arrest people and bring them justice. I am pleased with the sentence and hope it sends a clear message that this type of offence will not be tolerated.” The court heard how the armed robbery was carried out at Asda, in Colne, in May 2005. Two men in crash helmets arrived on a motorbike. The security guard was attacked with a machete after being knocked to the ground. The victim had a handgun pushed into his neck and a demand was made for money. He was then hit over the helmet with such force that he fell to the floor. One of the robbers shouted 'kill him' to his accomplice. He was ordered to tell a colleague to pass money out. The terrified guard curled up in a ball as the machete was used to rain blows to his head and upper arms. The court heard how the ordeal left him with both physical and psychological injuries. He had three lacerations to the upper arms and £25,000 in cash was stolen. The robbers made off on the motorbike and later switched to a getaway vehicle. Devalda pleaded guilty on the basis that he had been recruited by someone else. His role had been limited to providing the motorbike. A second man, Andrew Moran, 25, from Salford, was also charged with conspiracy to rob in connection with the raid. He appeared at Burnley Crown Court in March 2009 after a six week trial and was remanded into custody by the judge pending the result of the jury’s deliberations. Moran then assaulted a Group 4 security member, vaulted over the dock and ran from the court building. The jury later returned a guilty verdict and he was convicted in his absence of conspiracy to rob, for which he is to be yet sentenced. Moran is still missing and this week was named one of Britain’s most wanted criminals as part of a national Crimestoppers appeal. Det Insp Cheyte said: “We are determined to get Moran back before the courts to serve the time for his crime and I would urge anyone with any information as to his whereabouts to come forward and contact the police.” Moran is described as being around 5ft 8in, of stocky build with cropped fair hair. He has a Manchester accent 

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COLOMBIAN lingerie model dubbed "Narco Queen" was handed six years in jail

 

COLOMBIAN lingerie model dubbed "Narco Queen" was handed six years in jail yesterday after trying to ship cocaine to Europe in her suitcases. Stunning Angie Sanclemente Valencia, 31, had denied helping her boyfriend recruit other beautiful young women to work for her international drug smuggling ring. The former beauty queen tried to take drugs from Argentina to Europe in late 2009 via Mexico. She was arrested in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May 2010 after months on the run from police. Her attorney German Delgado said he would appeal the conviction. He insisted there was no proof, declaring that Sanclemente should be acquitted as she had no criminal record. Nicolas Gualco, her boyfriend, was also sentenced to six years and eight months for his role in the same plot. Sanclemente claimed during the trial in Argentina that she travelled to the country to marry Gualco and was not involved in the drug trade. She told the court: "I did not come here to commit crimes, I am not a narco-trafficker." She said all she had done for her boyfriend was "make a few calls", adding: "God knows I did it for love." Another man, Venezuelan Gustavo Paez Arneses, was sentenced to six years and two months for his role in the smuggling attempt.

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Addicts may have glitch in frontal brain

 

“The better we understand our decision-making brain circuitry, the better we can target treatment, whether it’s pharmaceutical, behavioral, or deep brain stimulation,” says Jonathan Wallis, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at University of California, Berkeley. Wallis says he was inspired to study the brain mechanism behind substance abuse after observing the lengths to which an addict will go to fulfill a craving, despite knowing the downside of a habit. He wanted to know what the drug did to the brain that made it so difficult to not make the right choice and what prevented the addict from making a healthier one. Straight from the Source Read the original study DOI: 10.1038/nn.2961 In the new study, published in Nature Neuroscience, Wallis targeted the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex—two areas in the frontal brain—because previous research has shown that patients with damage to these areas of the brain are impaired in the choices they make. While these individuals may appear perfectly normal on the surface, they routinely make decisions that create chaos in their lives. A similar dynamic has been observed in chronic drug addicts, alcoholics, and people with obsessive-compulsive tendencies. “They get divorced, quit their jobs, lose their friends, and lose all their money,” Wallis says. “All the decisions they make are bad ones.” To test the hypothesis that these areas of the brain are the key players in impaired decision-making, researchers measured the neural activity of macaque monkeys as they played games in which they identified the pictures most likely to deliver juice through a spout into their mouths. The animals quickly learned which pictures would most frequently deliver the greatest amount of juice, allowing researchers to see what calculations they were making, and in which part of the brain. The brains of macaques function similarly to those of humans in basic decision making. The exercise was designed to see how the animals weigh costs, benefits, and risks. The results show that the orbitofrontal cortex regulates neural activity, depending on the value or “stakes” of a decision. This part of the brain enables you to switch easily between making important decisions, such as what school to attend or which job to take, and making trivial decisions such as coffee versus tea or burrito versus pizza. But in the case of addicts and people with damage to the orbitofrontal cortex, the neural activity does not change based on the gravity of the decision, presenting trouble when these individuals try to get their brains in gear to make sound choices, the findings suggest. As for the anterior cingulate cortex, the study found that when this part of the brain functions normally, we learn quickly whether a decision we made matched our expectations. If we eat food that makes us sick, we don’t eat it again. But in people with a malfunctioning anterior cingulate cortex, these signals are missing, and so they continue to make poor choices, Wallis says. “This is the first study to pin down the calculations made by these two specific parts of the brain that underlie healthy decision-making,”  Wallis says, who believes that a clearer understanding of how people with addictions make decisions may help remove some of the stigma of the condition. However, Wallis warned that the findings should not be used as a rationale for addicts to maintain unhealthy habits. Chronic drug and alcohol use changes the brain circuitry, and that can lead to unhealthy choices, he says. If anything, the findings offer hope that, through understanding the mechanism of addiction, treatment can be targeted at these risk-weighing, decision-making centers of the brain. “We know beyond doubt that addiction is a complex brain disease with significant behavioral characteristics,” says Susan E. Foster, vice president and director of policy research and analysis at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. “This research is an important contribution to understanding how the disease works. The challenge going forward is to sharpen our understanding, translate this knowledge into effective medical treatments and new prevention strategies and ultimately find a cure for this disease.” Researchers from the University of London and the University of Oxford contributed to the study that was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

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Chief Superintendent Mark Mathias from South Wales Police said: "Each addict can cost society not far off £850,000

Photo: PA

 

Top officers warned of the increasing cost of drug-ravaged society with hundreds of millions is being spent on the increasing number of addicts.

Chief Superintendent Mark Mathias from South Wales Police said: "Each addict can cost society not far off £850,000.

"You work through all the treatment, all the criminal justice issues that arise - then you see a significant costs involved."

Police in Swansea have launched a £500,00 clampdown in the city known as the "heroin capital of Wales" where officers have seized 1,000 "deals" in the last two weeks.

Superintendent Phil Davies said: "Some of these drug dealers have stated they are untouchable.

"My message to them is there is no hiding place, we will find you, we will catch you and we will put you behind bars."

Addict Amy Protheroe, 20, who has been an addict since she was 13 has just started her fifth treatment programme in Swansea.

She said: "When you're a heroin addict you wake up and you think straight away: "Where am I going to get money from, where am I going to score from?'"

"You get up, you go out, you get the money for the heroin, you buy the heroin, you do the heroin and then it starts all over again.

"To be honest, heroin has wrecked my life."

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Police raided the Magog Motorcycle gang's New Plymouth headquarters yesterday

 

Police raided the Magog Motorcycle gang's New Plymouth headquarters yesterday as part of an operation targeting the Hells Angels. The Centennial Dr gang pad was one of two addresses searched locally while simultaneous warrants were carried out at Auckland properties, including the headquarters of the Hells Angels and other properties linked with the gang, by police and the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand (Ofcanz). A 56-year-old New Plymouth man, believed to be a member of the Magogs, was arrested and charged with conspiring to defeat the course of justice. He appeared in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday and was remanded on bail to reappear in the Manukau District Court on November 24. Nine men, five members of the Hells Angels and four associates were arrested and six firearms were seized in the Auckland raids. The men have been charged with intentional damage, commission of a crime while in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm except for some lawful, proper and sufficient purpose. The charges relate to alleged illegal hunting activities, without permits and without firearms licences over the past year. Detective Senior Sergeant Grant Coward of New Plymouth said 16 officers, including two from Ofcanz, were involved in the raids. Mr Coward said the charge the New Plymouth man faced was not connected to the charges in Auckland. "The offending relating to the New Plymouth man is isolated from the illegal hunting." Police believed there was a link between the gangs, but Mr Coward wouldn't elaborate. "We would be naive in thinking there wasn't," he said. No drugs or firearms were found in New Plymouth. Detective Inspector Grant Wormald, of Ofcanz said it was hoped the operation would disrupt a wide range of criminal activities the Hells Angels were involved in. "A number of Hells Angels gang members from around New Zealand have been prosecuted or are now on active charges ranging from possession and supply of methamphetamine to robbery, burglary and extortion," he said. "We have made arrests in Auckland, Napier, Tauranga and Nelson, where an undercover operation early this year put an end to offshoot gang the Red Devils. "Our goal is to investigate the crimes they are committing and disrupt their activities to the extent that it's very hard for them to operate at all.

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Dead Man Inc.: 22 charged in indictment of white prison gang

 

Nearly two dozen alleged members of a homegrown prison gang that started in Maryland and spread across the country have been indicted on federal racketeering charges, including accusations of murder for hire, armed robbery and drug running, officials announced Wednesday. The members of Dead Man Inc., who refer to themselves as "dawgs" and espouse an anti-government philosophy, used contraband cellphones to direct activities and spread gang membership into South Baltimore, eastern Baltimore County, northern Anne Arundel County and several other states, authorities said. The 27-count indictment alleges that members shot and killed four people and conspired to kill others. Among those charged are the alleged co-founders, Perry Roark and James Sweeney. Roark, a 42-year-old Dundalk native who is referred to as the "supreme commander," was charged earlier this year in another killing, days before he was to be released from a 25-year prison term. Related Archives: Days before release, reputed gang leader charged in '94 murder Crime Beat: Coverage of Maryland gangs Interactive map: Baltimore City homicides Recent stories by Peter Hermann Baltimore Crime Beat blog City rape investigations questioned Baltimore County crime map Topics Criminal Laws Prisons Murder See more topics » Maps Baltimore, MD, USA "On our streets, this organization has been involved in street robberies, home invasions, property thefts, intimidation, assaults — you name it, they're involved in it," said Randall Jones Sr., an Anne Arundel County police commander. "The northern part of our county has been plagued by these individuals, and this is a major blow to this organization." Roark was close with members of the Black Guerrilla Family, law enforcement officials say, but that gang's rules prohibited him from joining because he is white. With the gang's blessing, officials say, Roark formed a gang at the Jessup prison in the late 1990s that, among other things, carried out killings for the BGF. Experts say the gang, known by the acronym DMI, offered another option for white inmates beyond white supremacists or biker gangs, and its membership grew to include prisoners affiliated with those organizations. There was a careful recruitment and screening process, with a top-down militarized structure that placed commanders in each prison, officials say. Members contend that their purpose is to foster brotherhood. Dead Man Inc. quickly earned a reputation for violence and a willingness to carry out attacks for drugs or money. Though not as well known as the Bloods and the Crips, the gang has been linked to a series of high-profile incidents and was profiled in 2009 on the History Channel's "Gangland" program. Corrections officials say they have confirmed more than 500 DMI members in Maryland prison facilities, about half the number of Bloods but seven times the membership of MS-13, a Hispanic gang that has garnered headlines for ruthless crimes. This week's indictment links the gang to four killings in 2009: the death of James Flanary, 23, in the 3900 block of S. Hanover St. on Feb. 16; the killing June 2 of Tony Geiger, 41, in the unit block of Old Riverside Road; the slaying Sept. 18 of 20-year-old Eugene Chambers in the 1600 block of Cypress St.; and the killing of Walter Milewski, 31, in the 4800 block of Carmella Drive in Halethorpe on Sept. 19. At least one of those charged, Dane Shives, 22, of Glen Burnie, is awaiting trial on separate charges. He is accused of murder in a double shooting in Brooklyn last year. U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein said the case began 18 months ago when Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger visited his office to outline a murder case that he believed had a broader scope. Officials praised the results of increased cooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement and commended prison officials for sharing intelligence that helped police solve cases and work across jurisdictions. "When you look at the causes of violent crime, in many cases you find a connection to gangs," Rosenstein said. "We believe the key to continuing to reduce the violent crime and murder rate here in Baltimore City and throughout the state is to target the gangs and the leaders of the gangs who are fomenting this violence." An effort by prison officials years ago to disrupt the gang's leadership sent two top members to out-of-state facilities, which authorities said only served to broaden the gang's reach. One estimate put Dead Man Inc. membership in the thousands, in states that include Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, New York and Virginia. At Wednesday's news conference, Rosenstein added Pennsylvania and Texas to the list, and the FBI's recently released Gang Threat Assessment included North Carolina. Ryan Shifflet of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Gang Investigation Network, a group of law enforcement officers that shares gang intelligence, has said DMI "gained notoriety by becoming a murder-for-hire group, or doing hits or attacking other inmates in the prison system for money or contraband." Though once aligned with the Black Guerrilla Family, the indictment says, DMI "has gone through sporadic periods of conflict with other gangs, including the Bloods and the BGF, both in prisons and on the streets." Roark, who is accused of directing a number of assaults on inmates and others that are detailed in court papers, has achieved godlike status among followers, Shifflet said. "You've got tons of inmates who've never laid eyes on the man, but they know who he is and have heard he's 10 feet tall and bulletproof," Shifflet said. Rosenstein said 11 of the defendants named in the federal indictment were in custody, and that authorities had tracked down seven who were not in prison and were looking for the others.

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Report: Nevada Top 10 in Gang Members

 

Street gangs are a growing problem in southern Nevada. The FBI ranks Clark County as the 10th worst area in the nation for the number of gang members. More than 15,000 roam the streets, and those are just the ones authorities know about. The report shows the trends authorities are seeing in gangs. Biker gangs are getting more and more members. Hispanic-based gangs are expanding faster than other gangs. Twenty states, including Nevada, are seeing these same trends. Rachal Richardson used to have gang ties. Lights and sirens were something she was used to. Her ties to gang life are over, but not before being exposed to plenty of violence. The mother of four traded in violence and crimes scenes for a better life 10 years ago. She's not surprised Clark County is in the top 10 counties of the country when it comes to gang presence. "With sex is drugs and money and with that comes gangs, people trying to protect their turf, their name, or their pride," she said. With more than 15,000 gang members identified through the report, those who work closely with gang members say more needs to done. "We don't have enough money on prevention programs, where the kids can be involved and don't fall into that path of crime," said Esther Brown with the Embracing Project. Brown has never been in a gang, but moved to America from Spain and saw the need to reach out to those in gangs. She started the Embracing Project, a gang-prevention charity. "You are a gang member, let's look for solutions. What do you need so you can leave the gang. Some of the kids, it's difficult to leave the gang because their family are gang members," she said. She hopes this recent report opens the eyes of the community. "It's everywhere. People think, 'Oh, not in Summerlin. We don't have gang-bangers.' It's everywhere. Gang activity is everywhere," she said. Most of the gangs identified in this report are from street gangs. Two motorcycle gangs have seen a growth in Nevada, but gang-related drug activity in the report was fairly low compared to the overall gang presence in the state.

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Gangster suspect Freddie is bailed in Spain

 

SUSPECTED gangland boss 'Fat' Freddie Thompson is enjoying the Spanish sunshine after being freed on bail following a brief court appearance. Mr Thompson (30) was allowed to leave a Costa del Sol court a free man yesterday after more than a fortnight in jail in Ireland and Spain. He was told he was suspected of offences including drugs trafficking, money laundering and unlawful assembly, at the private court hearing in Estepona near Marbella. But he was spared more prison time after agreeing to bail conditions including the surrender of his passport and a ban on leaving Spain. Accomplices He has also been ordered to sign on at the court twice a month -- a requirement likely to bring him into contact with alleged accomplices John Cunningham and Christy Kinahan's sons Daniel and Christopher. Suspected gang boss Christy is in jail in Belgium after being extradited there in August. Mr Thompson's bail address has not been made public. A court source confirmed yesterday: "Frederick Thompson has been released on bail. "He has been informed he is under investigation for crimes including money laundering, unlawful assembly and drugs trafficking. Court "The three conditions of his bail are that he cannot leave Spain, hands in his passport to the authorities and signs on at court twice a month on days fixed by the court." Mr Thompson consented to extradition after being arrested in Dublin on a European arrest warrant on October 14. He spent 13 days in Cloverhill Prison before being flown to Spain last Friday. He is thought to have spent the weekend in prisons in Madrid and Alhaurin de la Torre near Malaga. He is said to be facing nine years in prison in Spain if convicted. Under Spanish law, he has not been officially charged with any crimes.

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