Police dismantle gang smuggling marijuana to Ireland in farm feed
The investigation began in January 2025 after authorities identified a group involving Irish, British and Spanish nationals using international freight companies to ship pallets of animal feed with concealed marijuana buds to Ireland, Spain's National Police said in a statement.
The statement said 12 searches were carried out in Madrid, Malaga and Seville. Nearly €100,000 in cash was seized, along with 630 marijuana plants, a firearm and three detonators, high-end vehicles, luxury watches, electronic devices and items relating to criminal activity.
At the same time as the searches, property and financial assets worth more than €2 million were blocked.
Officials estimate the group trafficked more than three tonnes of marijuana since 2019, maintaining steady monthly shipments.
Several shipments were intercepted in Spain and Ireland during the probe, with about 300 kilos of marijuana seized.
One person in Ireland was arrested after gardaí searched a house in Co Louth. Thirteen people in Spain were also arrested.
The operation was carried out with support from gardaí and Britain's national crime agency.
Spain is a major gateway for drug trafficking into Europe due to its proximity to Morocco - a leading cannabis producer - and its historical ties to Latin America.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Two Irish teens, 18, arrested over ‘unprovoked' street attack on grandfather, 71, & grandson in popular tourist hotspot
The pair have since paid €2,000 bail and have been freed BRUTAL ASSAULT Two Irish teens, 18, arrested over 'unprovoked' street attack on grandfather, 71, & grandson in popular tourist hotspot TWO teenagers have been arrested over a brutal street attack on an Irish grandfather and his grandson in a popular Majorcan holiday resort. The 18-year-olds, who are also from Ireland, were held after witnesses told police they had seen them kicking and punching their compatriots following an earlier row in a tattoo parlour. Advertisement The violent incident occurred in Santa Ponsa near Magaluf. The 71-year-old victim and his 20-year-old grandson were taken to hospital, with the elder of the two men needing an emergency operation after suffering several facial fractures. The two tourists held were remanded to a local jail after appearing before a judge in court, although they have since paid €2,000 bail and have been freed while a judicial investigation continues. The Civil Guard has yet to make any official comment about the incident. Advertisement READ MORE IRISH NEWS DO NOT EAT Full list of every herb sold in Dunnes, Lidl, Aldi & Tesco after listeria recall Local paper Diario de Mallorca described the early-hours attack at the end of last month as 'unprovoked'. It said it occurred after the Irish teenagers were kicked out of a tattoo parlour in the resort's Ramon de Montcada Street after starting to insult and threaten staff and customers. They are said to have told the men they allegedly went on to physically attack: 'What are you looking at? Do you want a fight?' They reportedly waited outside with six other friends for 40 minutes and ambushed their alleged victims as they walked back to their hotel. Advertisement It has been reported that the the teenagers continued to kick and punch them after knocking them to the ground. The assault is said to have occurred outside an unnamed fast food restaurant where witnesses afterwards gave police a description of what had happened. The teenagers, who are still being investigated although they are thought to have been given permission to return to Ireland, spent only a few hours behind bars before managing to stump up their bail bond. SANTA PONSA FATAL CRASH Separately, at the weekend it emerged an Irish tourist had been involved in a fatal crash in Santa Ponsa. Advertisement The 38-year-old was at the wheel of a rental car which collided head-on with a 51-year-old German cyclist in the town on July 31. Police spent nearly half an hour trying to save the man knocked off his bike. Paramedics arrived a short time later and confirmed he was deceased. No arrests are believed to have been made although a local judge has opened an investigation into the accident. Advertisement It happened just before 5pm on July 31 at the intersection of Ramon de Moncada Street and Bartomeu Rossello Planas Street.
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Irish family shocked by message from assisted dying clinic
An Irish family has been left reeling after allegedly receiving a text message from a suicide clinic in Switzerland informing them that their mother was dead, and her ashes would be arriving in the post. 58-year-old Maureen Slough, based in Co Cavan, travelled to the Pegasos clinic on July 8, telling her family she was going to Lithuania with a friend, according to the Irish Independent. However, the woman's daughter, Megan, says she was shocked when she received a WhatsApp message saying her mother had died listening to gospel music sung by Elvis Presley, while her family believed she was holidaying in Lithuania. Maureen Slough, a 58-year-old mother from Cavan who reportedly took her own life at the Pegasos clinic, and her daughter Megan Royal. Pic: Facebook Now her family is demanding answers to find out why their mother, who they say attempted suicide a year earlier following the deaths of her two sisters, was able to seek assisted dying without the family being informed. Her daughter Megan told the Irish Independent that she had to track her mother's ashes through the postal system. It's reported that after the shock of finding out Ms Slough had travelled alone to Switzerland and paid a reported £13,000 to the Pegasos Swiss Association to facilitate her death two days later, the family began investigating how this could have happened They were shocked to find that Pegasos accepted their mother's application, considering her long history of mental illness, and claimed the clinic did not inform the family of her plan. Ms Slough allegedly travelled alone to Switzerland and paid £13,000 to the Pegasos Swiss Association to facilitate her death two days later. Pic: Facebook But the Pegasos group has allegedly said that it received a letter from Ms Slough's daughter, Megan, saying she was aware of her mother's desire to die and that she had accepted her decision, something Megan has denied. The clinic also claimed it verified the authenticity of the letter through an email response to Ms Royal, using an email address supplied by her mother, but Megan insists she never wrote such a letter or verified any contact from the clinic, and the family claim their mother may have forged the letter and then verified it using an email address she created herself. This is not the first time the non-profit assisted dying clinic Pegasos has attracted controversy. Alistair Hamilton with his mother Judith. Pic: ITV In 2023, Alistair Hamilton, a 47-year-old teacher from the UK, with no diagnosed illness, took his own life at the Swiss clinic, without the knowledge of his family, and after that case, Pegasos reportedly promised it would always contact a person's relatives before carrying out assisted death. His mother, Judith, later visited the clinic where her son had died to look for answers. Since 1942, under Swiss Law, people have been allowed to help others to die, as long as their motives are not for personal gain, such as an inheritance or other form of monetary gain. The law states that the person wishing to die must be of sound mind, but they do not need to be terminally ill or have any medical conditions. The country's assisted suicide clinics are non-profit organisations. Earlier this year, British MPs voted to change the suicide law in the UK and allow terminally ill people in England and Wales the choice to end their lives.
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Our mum is UK's most infamous female gangster…we played with sawn-off shotguns at 3 & she hid dad's grisly death from us
Both Neil and Mel admitted they became 'reckless' to help them cope with their unique and tragic situations FLESH & BLOOD Our mum is UK's most infamous female gangster…we played with sawn-off shotguns at 3 & she hid dad's grisly death from us WHEN Neil Calvey was just nine months old his dad walked in from work, sliced open a sack of used bank notes and poured them over his head. Baby Neil sat playing with thousands of pounds as his jubilant dad took a picture to put in pride of place on the mantelpiece. 13 Linda Calvey had the two children with her first husband Mickey Credit: Supplied 13 Neil and Mel lost their dad and then mum Linda was jailed Credit: Mirrorpix 13 Linda Calvey with baby Melanie Credit: Supplied 13 Mickey Calvey, pictured with newborn son Neil, was shot dead when the kids were seven and four Credit: Supplied It may sound far-fetched, but as the son of Mickey and Linda Calvey - two of Britain's most notorious armed robbers - that is not his most outrageous story. Now for the first time Neil and his sister Melanie are opening up about their childhoods which were moulded by untold riches, but also crime, violence and loss. Mickey was shot dead in a failed armed robbery when the kids were aged just seven and four. So mum Linda decided to continue with the family business and became the most notorious female gangster in British history - The Black Widow. She was the first woman to be charged with gangland murder in Britain and was convicted of shooting dead her lover Ronnie Cook and jailed for life. This meant Neil and Mel had lost both their mum and dad to their lives of crime. Now in a new BBC podcast they reveal what it was like to live a childhood as the kids of prolific armed robbers. Neil says: 'When my dad got killed and my mum went to prison, it was like falling into a black hole. You just don't know which way to turn.' Mel adds: 'I was angry. I'd already lost my dad, then I lost my mum. I told her that. I was about 14, and I asked her, 'Why did you do that to us?' I was bitter for years. 'It was like drinking a poison that festered in me. It's like I walked into a party at 14 and didn't leave until I was in my forties. 'Black Widow' killer Linda Calvey reveals moment she slapped 'most hated woman in UK' as she tells of time behind bars 13 Linda has told all ion the new podcast Credit: BBC 'I was reckless. For years I was just on another planet.' One of Neil's earliest memories is playing outside aged just three-and-a-half with what turned out to be a real sawn-off shotgun. He says: 'I thought it was just another toy gun; I'd found it behind the sofa. I was outside running around with it when one of the neighbours knocked on the door. My mum just said, 'Oh, he's got loads of guns.' She thought it was a toy, but it wasn't.' Life of extremes Neil remembers the good times and being able to enjoy the fruits of his parents' ill-gotten gains, but he concedes it was a life of extremes. He explains: 'I suppose it was a little bit different from the norm. I mean, my mum and dad used to be called Bonnie and Clyde by my friends. 'We had some really good times, when we were having it good it was really, really good. Lovely houses, lovely clothes, nice cars. 'Then you had the flip side which was the polar opposite. As a kid growing up you were either at the top of the tree or at the bottom. There was no in between.' Mel was just 13 when she went on a spending spree to Hamley's toy shop with money she found under Linda's bed. While dad Mickey was in-between armed robberies, he was a stay-at-home dad to Mel and Neil. I was bitter for years. It was like drinking a poison that festered in me. It's like I walked into a party at 14 and didn't leave until I was in my forties. I was reckless. For years I was just on another planet Melanie Calvey Mel says: 'I remember coming home from school one day and he was in prison, and I come home and I didn't know he was coming out. 'So I ran up and give him a hug and he said, 'I'm going to cook dinner tonight, what do you want? Paella or Spaghetti Bolognese? That was his two dishes he was really good at [sic].' But the family's kitchen table where the kids would eat their dinner doubled up as the planning desk for Mickey and his cronies. And it was one of those plans that went wrong and ended in Mickey's death - he was shot by police during a botched robbery in early December 1978. But Neil and Mel were oblivious to their father's death, with mum Linda deciding not to tell them until after Christmas. 13 Linda attending the inquest into Mickey's death in 1979 Credit: Alamy 13 The children didn't go the funeral of their father Credit: Alamy 13 Linda with Neil and Mel at the book launch for Black Widow at The Blind Beggar pub Credit: Supplied They didn't even go to their dad's funeral. Mel says: 'I was staying with my mum's brother and his wife, and looking back now it sort of makes sense, every time the news came on they kept turning the telly off.' Neil's recollection is hazy, but at the inquest into Mickey's death a nurse who got to him after he had been shot said his last words were: 'Tell my wife and kids that I love them.' Neil says: 'That broke my heart. It still does to this day.' Jailed for murder Linda wasn't to stay alone for long. She soon became romantically involved with one of Mickey's associates, Ronnie Cook. He showered Linda with gifts and luxury holidays, but she says he became controlling and she turned down his marriage proposal. Linda picked up where her husband Mickey had left off and became part of a gang organising a series of post office robberies in which she claimed to have made more than £1million. Her first conviction in 1986 resulted in her being sentenced to seven years imprisonment, of which she served about three years - half her sentence. And around 18 months after being paroled she was found guilty of the murder of her ex-lover Cook by shooting him in the head, meaning she was heading back to prison for an even longer stretch. I thought it was just another toy gun; I'd found it behind the sofa. I was outside running around with it when one of the neighbours knocked on the door. My mum just said, 'Oh, he's got loads of guns.' She thought it was a toy, but it wasn't Neil Calvey She spent time in prison alongside some of Britain's most infamous female killers including Moors Murderer Myra Hindley and Cromwell Street killer Rose West. Linda was behind bars for 18-and-a-half years for Cook's murder - meaning Neil and Mel spent much of their childhood and early adult years without both parents, which had a profound effect on them both. She was released on parole in 2008, and she and the kids had a lot of catching up to do - and a lot of animosity to overcome. Neil reflects: 'It was a great life when it was nice, but when it went wrong it went properly wrong. 'I think we've had rows. I've said, 'Why didn't you ever think of me and Mel? You were thinking of yourself, your kudos, I'm Linda Calvey, I'm a big gangster girl'.' Mel adds: 'I got angry that she'd done that, I've got to be honest. I'd already lost my father and now I'm losing my mother. So I was very angry over it.' 13 Linda was jailed for murdering lover Ron Cook 13 Mel admits she went off the rails after her mum was jailed Credit: Supplied 13 Neil. pictured with mum Linda, turned to alcohol Credit: Supplied Reckless Neil and Mel said they turned to drugs and alcohol to help them cope with their unique and tragic situations. Neil says: 'Over the years with my mum going away and ending up with the murder and stuff I found myself turning to alcohol and other dependents to try to numb my mind. 'My mind was racing all the time, it would never let things go.' Mel adds: 'I was quite a handful, I'd gone quite wayward because of how my life had been. 'I was quite reckless, a lot of drugs, a lot of drinking. I just didn't care about nothing.' I was quite reckless, a lot of drugs, a lot of drinking. I just didn't care about nothing Melanie Calvey Despite the pain, there are also moments of reconciliation. Neil adds: 'I might have been angry with the situation, but I never blamed my mum. I'd still choose her. And my dad. It's just a shame how it all went.' Mel agrees: 'I'd still choose them, but I'd want it to be a different way. 'I used to be envious of my friends whose parents had jobs, mortgages, dinner on the table. That's what I wanted. A normal life. 'I never had that. So if I could have them back again, that's what I would want.' Listen to Gangster: The Black Widow on BBC Sounds from August 8. Linda is the author of Life Inside and Black Widow, both available now 13 Linda became the UK's most notorious female gangster after her husband was shot Credit: Mirrorpix
