Young Kerry woman found dead in Spanish coastal resort in heart-breaking tragedy
The police there ruled out foul play in the early stages of their probe into the heartbreaking death.
The tragic circumstances involving the young woman, who was aged in her 20s, unfolded in an apartment in the coastal city, leading to an emergency response from Spanish police and medical services.
The alarm was raised by the woman's partner, sources close to the emerging results of the investigation within this jurisdiction indicated to The Kerryman. He is also understood to be a native of Kerry.
The woman is believed to have been a native of the Listowel area in North Kerry in particular, and it is thought that she had been staying in the apartment in Alicante with her partner for a period.
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I was banged up in hellhole prison like Brit drug mules & preyed on by pervy guards… sick ways they break female inmates
HANDCUFFED to a chair and sweating profusely in a puffer jacket, Alana Moor was terrified she'd never be allowed to go home. The 24-year-old was due to fly back home to Canada from 17 Alana was given the suitcase containing drugs by people she trusted Credit: Supplied 17 She spent seven years in a crowded prison in Panama Credit: Supplied 17 She claims up to 60 women would be held in one cramped cell Credit: Alamy People she'd considered friends had persuaded her to take a suitcase, which contained 11 kilos of cocaine stashed in the lining. Alana - who was sentenced to six years and nine months for her crime - says she was detained in a stinking prison cell where she was deprived of all basic necessities and preyed on by pervy male prison guards. So she understands only too well the horror that alleged Brit drug mules In an exclusive chat Alana, now 38, tells The Sun: 'I was scared for my life as two armed officers put me into the back of a rickety truck. 'I didn't know where I was going, and I was terrified I was going to be raped or something. 'After a while, they pulled up to this police station with a prison attached. 'Once there I was strapped to a chair in the clothes I had planned to travel home in - winter items. 'They left me there for days, nowhere to go to the loo, wash, or not even allowed to take off a layer. It was humiliating. "I had to wipe myself with my hand when I went to the loo where I was sat. 'When the guard came to unchain me, he retched at the smell of me. Brits accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the UK from abroad are being locked away for a long time 'Just two weeks before I had been partying with NBA stars.' She had been taken under the wing of the woman - who claimed to work for a famous US music star in Toronto. Alana says the woman, who' d become a friend, promised to introduce her to celebrities that could become potential clients - on the condition she took a holiday to Panama to pick up a suitcase and bring it back to Canada for the musician. Alana claims they promised to get her out of Panama safely if anything went wrong because they had top lawyers. 17 Alana spent her sentence in a jail that often had power outages and poor sanitation Credit: Getty 17 Alana claims prison officers often treated the women badly Credit: AFP She admits she suspected the suitcase contained something illegal, telling The Sun she thought it was likely drugs, passports or cash. The friend promised Alana that on her return she'd be introduced to the music mogul and become their stylist. But her dream was shattered when border officers found the cocaine stash hidden in the suitcase lining. Alana says she was strip-searched at the airport and made to watch as cops pulled out the packages, which she'd naively thought was insulation. She was then handed a form in Spanish and told by a translator to cooperate and sign it - but later discovered it confirmed everything in the case was hers. In the first Panama prison she was detained in, Alana says they sent one meal, a bottle of water and a can of Coke, and claims it was the only food she was given while shackled to the chair. She was later moved to an all-female prison to await her court date. Violent offenders After being handed a six year, nine-month sentence, Alana was moved to an overcrowded female prison in the centre of Panama. When she arrived at the jail, she says there were 26 women to one cramped room. By the time she left that number was closer to 60. Many were in prison for murder and other violent offences. But the majority had been caught with drugs and arrested to show officials were taking an active stance in the war on drugs. 'Prison in Panama is nothing like prison in the US, Canada or the UK,' she says. 'As I was being taken in, the guard said to me, 'There are laws in this country, but as soon as you cross these bars, the laws don't apply'. 17 Alana uses her experience to provide incarcerated women with basic hygiene packages Credit: Supplied 'I had nothing given to me, just the clothes I was wearing. I had to shower with laundry detergent for the first two weeks. 'I wasn't given any underwear, no toilet paper or sanitary products. When I got my period I had to free bleed, with blood soaking my clothes as I went about my day. 'Guards and other inmates would tell me I smelt like blood, but there was nothing I could do. No woman should ever be put in that position.' Thankfully Alana's parents were allowed to visit and could bring supplies and money for her to buy things she needed - but she says that didn't always make things better. 'Depending on who was guarding when we were sent outside for work, sometimes we wouldn't be allowed back in to use the bathroom," she recalls. 'And when I was on my period, that would mean I used to have to just bleed through whatever sanitary product I was wearing. It was vile.' Horrifying searches Alana claims it was common for prison guards to randomly search cells in the middle of the night or early hours of the morning to try to seize phones or drugs that had been brought into the prison. Often these raids came with humiliating strip searches for the women. 'One morning, 80 balaclava-wearing officers burst in and sprayed us with pepper spray,' she recalls. 'I was in my underwear. They took people out to be strip searched." I'd find notes in my stuff from the male guards telling me I was pretty or that they wanted me to be their girlfriend. Alana Moor Alana claims she was made to bend over and officers pointed to her tampon string, demanding she remove it. 'I tried to refuse, but they didn't care," she says. "I was then made to sit in the corner of the cell while they searched it for 45 minutes holding this bloody tampon in my hand while bleeding everywhere. 'Six male officers watched me as I left the room and then sat where I was told. It was horrendous and inhumane.' Indecent propositions 17 Alana claims officers would target her because she was a foreigner Credit: Getty 17 Male officers also brazenly attempted to woo girls they were supposed to be guarding, Alana claims. 'Often after raids I'd find notes in my stuff from the male guards telling me I was pretty or that they wanted me to be their girlfriend,' Alana says. 'They'd leave their phone number because they knew we had mobiles. I was often targeted for being the 'white gringo' in the prison.' Alana says having a mobile phone was commonplace, and hiding them became a lucrative business for inmates. Everyone was hustling to try to make money. Drugs were dropped of at night by gangs. Alana Moor Women would be paid $100 to put them in intimate places to stop them being taken, with Alana claiming some girls fit "up to five" in their private parts. 'Everyone was hustling to try to make money," she says. 'Drugs were also common. They'd be dropped in at night by gangs who would post them through the tiny letter box windows in the concrete jail.' Vile conditions 17 Alana says facilities in the prison were poor and rarely worked for several days Credit: Getty Alana claims it was common for power and water at the prison to fail for days on end, leaving them without showers or facilities to wash. 'We'd be having to put our excrement in bin bags because we couldn't flush the toilets,' she recalls. 'Then we'd be given a bucket of water to shower with for the days the power was out. This was all while it was extremely hot. 'It just wasn't sanitary. I'd get sick a lot because the water wasn't particularly clean. I had to beg and pay to get purified water. There are just layers and layers of trauma being piled onto you when you're inside. They treat you like you're nothing. Alana Moor 'Often the food we were given was rotten, but you had to eat it in order to survive. 'There are just layers and layers of trauma being piled onto you when you're inside. They treat you like you're nothing.' Alana used her prison time to do every course she could, even teaching herself Spanish. She also worked out for two hours every day and helped teach other women how to exercise to keep themselves fit. Warning to Brit drug mules 17 Bella Culley was arrested in Georgia for smuggling cannabis from Thailand Credit: East2West 17 Bella is being held in an all-female prison near Tbilisi called Penitentiary No 5 Credit: . 17 A view inside the prison where Bella is being held and could remain for decades Credit: Linkedin 17 Former air hostess Charlotte May Lee is accused of smuggling £1.2million of cannabis into Sri Lanka Credit: Instagram 17 The prison where Charlotte faces being locked up is reported to be infested with maggots and rats 17 The infamous Welikada Prison is said to be "hell" for female inmates especially 17 Cameron Bradford is being held in Germany Now she is a motivational speaker and offers dignity packages to women who find themselves in prison, and helps families advocate for drug mules in similar situations. Alana is horrified by the growing number of young British women who have recently been caught attempting to smuggle drugs. Former air hostess This week it emerged Alana says: 'I feel so sad for them, but the best thing they can do now is take accountability for their actions, as hard as that is. 'It's easy to blame other people, but you've made this decision. The best and worst thing about prison is time, so use that time wisely. "The end goal is to come out better than you went in. 'For their parents, support and love your child. They need you now more than ever. "They know they've made a mistake, and getting mad at them won't make that any better. "I will be reaching out to their families to offer help and support in any way I can.' Why Brit backpackers are prime targets, Thai cop reveals By Patrick Harrington Police Lieutenant Colonel Arun Musikim, Deputy Inspector of the Surat Thani province police force, said: 'Cases involving British nationals smuggling cannabis have been around for a while. 'There is a lot of cannabis grown on Thailand's islands in the south because the climate is suitable and it is legal. A lot of gangs are attracted to this. 'There are now various smuggling methods that we have seen. Some carry it themselves, some hire backpackers, and some send it via mail. 'This year, there have been many cases we have intercepted. Most involve British and Malaysian nationals. 'It's easy for British citizens to travel as they can enter Thailand and return to the UK without needing a visa. 'Most of the smugglers are people hired to carry the cannabis, similar to how tourists might smuggle tax-free goods. 'They're usually unemployed individuals from the UK. The gangs offer them flights, pocket money and hotel stays, just to come and travel and take a bag back home with them. 'These people often have poor social standing at home and are looking for ways to earn quick money. They find them through friends or on social media. 'Many will go to festivals or parties while they are here, just like they are having a normal trip abroad. 'They are told that it is easy and they will not be caught. Then the amount the organisers can sell the cannabis for in the UK is much higher than it costs in Thailand. 'Police suspect that there are multiple employers and groups receiving the drugs on the other end. The cannabis then enters the UK market. 'We are being vigilant to ensure there are no routes out of the country.' 17
Sunday World
21 hours ago
- Sunday World
John George murder suspect got married in secret while on the run in Gibraltar
Madison Allen revealed the couple have been granted 'conjugal visits' twice a month in Spain. John George murder suspect Jonny Smyth got married in February to his OnlyFans partner Madison Allen, we can reveal. The couple sneaked off to a private ceremony in Gibraltar while Spanish cops were on the hunt for 27-year-old Smyth. Last night 19-year-old Madison, from north Belfast told the Sunday World she had wanted to keep their marriage private so as not to upset anyone but that someone had got wind of it and so she wanted to 'let the world know'. And she revealed the couple have been granted 'conjugal visits' twice a month since Jonny was locked-up in Spain. 'We got married in February and I don't care now who knows,' she told the Sunday World. Madison Allen's wedding ring 'We tied the knot at the Convent which is the governors residence. We travelled from Portugal to Gibraltar on the 14th because Gibraltar is UK territory so the wedding is legal back home and then we went back to Portugal. 'I'm the happiest I've ever been right now and we both know we are each other's number one supporter and always will be. 'I'm forever grateful for how happy he makes me and the things he has done for me in the past and even now and it will continue - we will continue to be and do our best for each other. 'We had wanted to get married for so long and we decided to do it in February in private. 'Jonny proposed in Portugal on the 11th of February and we got married three days later on Valentines Day. 'We had no friends or family there – we had strangers for witnesses. We will have a full wedding when he gets out on bail and then we'll do it all properly.' Jonny Smyth is one of two men Spanish police quizzed about the murder of John George in Alicante in December last year. Former gym owner Smyth fled his apartment in Spain during the police investigation and he and Madison rented a property in Portugal until John's campaigning father Billy George tracked them down and he was arrested and returned to Spain. Smyth and Allen in Gibraltar John George disappeared in December in the Alicante area. His remains were found in January following extensive appeals from the family and friends who travelled out to search for his body. The father of two was shot and his body was left in a rural area in the Alicante region around December 14 but his body wasn't discovered for several weeks. In the aftermath Madison was subjected to a hate campaign from online supporters of John George who claimed she had covered up the murder. 'I've done nothing wrong and neither has Jonny,' she claimed Madison Allen and Smyth 'I made my witness statement to the police two weeks ago – I have never been arrested because they know I had nothing to do with it – no matter what anyone else wants to say.' Smyth was made a wanted man in January after disappearing following the discovery of missing Mr George's body in an orchard in Rojales near Torrevieja south of Alicante. He was held on March 25th on an international arrest warrant after being tracked down to an unnamed Airbnb in Braga, a city in the far north of Portugal. After being brought back to Spain, Smyth was initially held in a remand prison near the border town of Badajoz in Spain's south-west Extremadura region after being driven across the frontier by armed cops. He was then transferred to another prison where he is at the centre of an ongoing investigation into the murder of Belfast dad-of-two John George. Madison says whatever happens to Jonny she won't be returning to Northern Ireland ever again. 'I believe he's done nothing wrong – he's been held for several months and there's been no charge. 'They are only holding him in case he runs away but I told them to take his passport or put a tag on him but they won't. 'We will always live in Spain – we will never return to Northern Ireland. He could be locked up but I think he will be set free because he's done nothing wrong. 'I'll still be in Spain with or without Jonny. He will either be with me in Spain or he'll be in prison. Since we got married we have been allowed to meet up for conjugal visits twice a months which has been great.' She says after they tied the knot they went out for dinner but they are planning a full wedding when Jonny is released. 'We just went out for dinner afterwards – my mum or the rest of my family knew I was even with Jonny at that stage – they thought he was in Thailand and I was in Spain. 'When he proposed I sent a picture of the ring to my mum but she didn't believe it- until I sent her a picture of the marriage certificate. 'I was shopping one day and I came back and he had the apartment all decorated and he asked me to marry him. And I couldn't believe it and said 'yes' straight away. 'He bought the ring last July and he said he would marry me – after the fallout after the John George murder he realised I was the only one to stand by him. 'I'm proud to be his wife he's been there for me more than anybody. At the start when I first met him he asked me what my job was and I said OnlyFans but he made me stop it but I said to him I want to do it and he agreed and when he saw how much I was making he joined in. 'We made £10,000 in a week. He still has money and is able to send me money. It's money from the gym. 'I'd been friends with John George for four years – not once until he died did I know he had kids or any family. I feel so sorry for his mum. I have no sympathy for anyone else – what has gone on since John was murdered regarding the treatment of me has been completely out of order. 'Anyone who has said anything bad about me is just jealous of a 19-year-old living her life with a supportive husband.' Madison says she and Jonny have always known each other but had never been together until she went out to Spain. 'I moved out to Spain and we became really good friends and he promised he would always look after me. 'After all the drama he realised that I am the only one that truly stuck by him and I always will no matter what. I can't thank him enough for the opportunities he has given me and everything he has done for me. 'From I first time met him in Spain he always promised and knew I was the one he was going to marry and I proved myself to him that I will have his back. 'So he kept his promise by us going to get married at the start of the year - something we both wanted for so long.'
Sunday World
a day ago
- Sunday World
MP says Scottish police need resources to fight wave of 'narco terror' caused by gang feud
Tory leader Russell Findlay who had previously linked the Kinahan cartel to Scotland's bloody gang war was speaking after Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were gunned down in an Irish pub in Spain The feud has been linked to the Kinahan cartel led by Daniel Kinahan A top Scottish politician has called for more resources for police to tackle a 'reign of narco terror' caused by feuding gangs. Tory leader Russell Findlay who had previously linked the Kinahan cartel to Scotland's bloody gang war was speaking after Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were gunned down in an Irish pub in Spain. The Scottish gangsters were shot to death last Saturday in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol. On Tuesday, Police Scotland said there was 'currently no intelligence' to suggest the deaths of both men are linked to 'recent criminal attacks' in Scotland. But Mr Findlay said they were 'active participants in the deadly turf war that has been raging across Scotland since 2001'. 'Whether the gangland assassinations were ordered from Scotland or directly linked to the ongoing drugs war in Scotland should be established by the Spanish police along with their UK colleagues,' Mr Findlay said. 'The police know the identity of the millionaire crime bosses, their violent foot soldiers and their white collar enablers. 'Dangerously complacent SNP ministers need to give officers the tools they need to end this reign of narco terror being inflicted on Scottish communities.' The feud has been linked to the Kinahan cartel led by Daniel Kinahan According to MailOnline, Police Scotland estimate that there are 68 known organised crime groups in Scotland with 13 in Glasgow. Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jnr were ambushed as the senior members of the Lyons crime clan watched the Champions League Final on TV. Holidaymakers watched in horror as a masked hitman stormed into Monaghan Irish pub, owned by Monaghan, and shot them both at point-blank range. It followed weeks of attacks on their associates, including a 12-year-old boy and pensioners by gangsters from the rival Daniels crime group. MP Russell Findlay Footage released of the shooting of two men in Monaghan's Irish bar in Spain In the wake of the killings, a Police Scotland spokesman said: 'There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge. 'Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country. 'There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.' The mayor of Fuengirola, Ana Mula, has said the Spanish resort is ill-equipped to tackle serious crime following a number of deadly shootings in the area. She has demanded more resources and police specialised in organised crime to 'improve the response to the growing phenomenon of gang fights related to drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol'. In May 2022, Scottish MP Findlay described how the Kinahan crime cartel, that had just been sanctioned by the US Government, was working in partnership with the feared Glasgow-based Lyons gang. The former crime journalist revealed how the Kinahans were described as almost a "Scottish-Irish mob" as the connections were so strong between them. In October 2022, senior crime buster Gerry McLean, claimed that dismantling the Kinahan cartel from the top would help reduce gangland activity in Scotland. McLean, Regional Head of Investigations at the National Crime Agency, said that focusing on the Irish mob's leading figures would have a 'much greater impact' than targeting smaller groups associated with the Kinahans. So far more than 40 people have been arrested as part of Operation Portaledge that is investigating a suspected gang feud linked with a number of shootings, fire bombings and assaults in the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas since March. It has previously been reported how the Daniel clan has been locked in a violent power battle with their deadly enemies, the Lyons gang, which has been fuelled by the Kinahan Cartel. According to the Daily Record, the Daniel crime clan has been targeted by Dubai-based gangster Ross 'Mr Big' McGill who has been waging war on them since March. The feud spread to Glasgow when the Daniel mob became targets because of their close association with Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson who ripped Mr Big off in a £500k cocaine deal. Ex-Rangers ultra McGill has reportedly offered £100,000 bounties on his top targets, a source told the Record.
