Latest news with #SpanishCivilGuard
Ya Biladi
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Ya Biladi
Spanish company to produce film on uncovered drug tunnel between Morocco and Ceuta
The Spanish production company Esto También Pasará is preparing to launch a new film project inspired by the secret security operation known as «Operation Hades», recently revealed by the Spanish Civil Guard. This operation uncovered an international drug trafficking network operating through a clandestine tunnel connecting Morocco and Ceuta. The film will be produced by Álvaro Ariza, with a screenplay by Fernando Navarro, known for his work on Verónica and Bajocero. Filming is set to begin next year, as the documentation and research phase is still underway. The movie draws from real events, recently declassified, involving the discovery of a massive tunnel used for years to smuggle large quantities of drugs between Morocco and Ceuta. The operation implicated security personnel, businessmen, parliamentarians, and a sophisticated logistics network that enabled the passage of shipments without detection. Producer Ariza explained that he learned about the operation's details through media reports, coinciding with the release of his previous film, Tierra de nadie. His close connections within the Spanish Civil Guard granted him access to detailed information that formed the foundation for the story. Ariza reflected, «How can a tunnel 50 meters long and 12 meters wide be built without anyone noticing? It's a story that surpasses fiction and deserves to be told on screen».
Daily Record
24-05-2025
- Daily Record
Jay Slater detective slams Spanish police in bombshell revelation over new evidence
Former detective Mark Williams-Thomas claims Spanish police ignored crucial evidence in the mysterious death of Brit teen Jay Slater. A former detective who supported Jay Slater's family in the early days of his disappearance has made a bombshell claim — accusing Spanish police of ignoring key evidence that could have helped crack the case. Mark Williams-Thomas, a former cop turned investigative journalist, claims Spanish authorities failed to act when he offered them a crucial audio recording linked to the 19-year-old's disappearance i n Tenerife. Jay, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, vanished in July 2024 after a ttending the NRG music festiva l. A huge search effort unfolded across the island, lasting nearly a month, before his body was tragically discovered in a rugged national park — hours from where he was last seen with two men he had met at the festival. Now, as an inquest into Jay's death opened at Preston Crown Court, Mr Williams-Thomas has shared his frustration in a seven-minute video, revealing the difficulties he faced dealing with Spanish authorities. 'I sent the information I had in an email,' he said. 'I told them I couldn't share the audio straight away because of how it was obtained — and because it was highly sensitive. But they never came back to me.' He added that in some countries, police are reluctant to cooperate with members of the public, saying: 'They think they always know the answers.' Jay's disappearance gripped headlines across the UK, and his death remains shrouded in questions. The Spanish Civil Guard previously ruled that he died from multiple injuries consistent with a fall in a remote, rocky area near Masca, reports the Mirror. A Home Office pathologist told the inquest that Jay's body was already decomposing when it was examined. The court also heard the teen had a cocktail of drugs in his system at the time of his death. But proceedings were dramatically halted this week after Jay's devastated mum, Debbie, asked for the inquest to be paused until several key witnesses — including Jay's friend Lucy Law, reportedly still in Tenerife — could be located and give evidence. Adding to the ongoing intrigue, the Tenerife Airbnb where Jay spent his final hours has now changed its name in an apparent bid to distance itself from the case. Previously called Casa Abuela Tina, the two-bed property is now listed as Casa El Turrón. In the weeks following Jay's disappearance, the remote location became a hotspot for so-called 'dark tourists' keen to visit the site where the teen was last seen alive.
Toronto Sun
22-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
Shipwreck plunder, art among nearly 38,000 items seized in police crackdown
Published May 22, 2025 • 3 minute read The Spanish Civil Guard recovered thousands of archeological items, mostly Roman coins. Photo by Interpol It was October 2024 when a woman travelling from the sunny Mediterranean island of Mallorca to Germany was stopped by Spain's customs police for a routine inspection. In her luggage were several seemingly innocuous items: 55 coins and a ring. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The woman told officials the items belonged to her late husband, an archeologist and diver who lived on the Balearic Islands. She intended to take the objects to Germany to have them evaluated and sold, a spokeswoman for Spain's Civil Guard said. The chance encounter led to the discovery of more than 1,000 ancient and priceless items including coins, jewels, lamps and swords, some of which date back to the Talayotic culture – from 1600 to 123 B.C. – the Civil Guard said. The couple's daughter, who had accompanied the archeologist on his trips to recover objects, is facing charges of plundering underwater wrecks and archeological sites, authorities said. The items are being catalogued to be put on display at the Museum of Mallorca. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The case is one of nearly 260 reported as part of Operation Pandora IX – a major annual exercise supported by Interpol, Europol and the World Customs Organization. This year's operation was coordinated by Spain's Civil Guard and involved authorities from 23 countries, including the United States, in a bid to disrupt the trafficking of cultural items and ancient artifacts across borders. The latest operation led to 80 arrests and the seizure of more than 37,700 items such as paintings, Roman coins and ceramics, according to Interpol. The figures, which cover findings from 2024, are a sharp increase from the previous three years, in which authorities seized between 6,400 and 11,000 items per year. In 2021, authorities seized over 56,400 artifacts, including a single haul of 27,300 items by French customs authorities. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Interpol spokesman Samuel Heath said the findings reflect a new and 'highly lucrative' business for organized crime networks, which have seen a 'massive watershed moment' since the coronavirus pandemic, when they became larger and more professional and expanded distribution networks. 'It was like they almost took an MBA during covid and worked out different ways of operating,' he said in a phone interview Wednesday, describing criminals innovating and evolving 'at a rate that we haven't seen before,' possibly spurred by restrictions on real-world travel and more people living their lives online. Heath said this led to more cross-border coordination, including among groups 'who you would think wouldn't get on working together,' as well as the subcontracting of services like money laundering. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. As part of the operation, Spanish authorities disrupted a criminal gang looting archeological sites in Cáceres province, near the border with Portugal, Interpol said. Police seized more than 2,000 items – mainly Roman coins minted in the Celtiberian city of Tamusia – that the group had found using metal detectors and was selling illegally on social media. Six people were arrested and three others placed under investigation, according to the agency. In Italy, the country's dedicated police unit for protecting cultural heritage seized a painting fraudulently attributed to renowned artist Jannis Kounellis. It would have been valued around $113,000 had it been authentic, Interpol said. A separate investigation turned up more than 300 items, including ancient coins, metals and weapons dating to Roman times, offered for sale online and discovered in a private apartment. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In Greece, the country's department of cultural heritage and antiquities used an undercover officer to act on a tip and recover five byzantine icons being sold for nearly $80,000, leading to the arrest of three people. Ukrainian authorities also seized nearly 90 items, including coins, books and spoons, that were being illegally taken out of the war-torn country, en route to Poland, Moldova and Romania, Interpol said. Authorities also confiscated 69 metal detectors and 23 tools used for illegal excavations. Heath said 'cultural crime' is often seen as low-risk because items can be hard to identify. Yet far from being victimless, such activity disrupts the work of archeologists and cultural historians and can affect communities through other types of criminal behaviour such as violence, corruption and fraud, he said. 'So it isn't just, 'OK, we've lost a coin, and we've lost a bit of pottery,'' he said, but an issue of 'greater historical damage.' Basketball Canada Sunshine Girls Columnists World
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Dark Jay Slater autopsy detail that finally shuts down sinister theory
Rumours and theories surrounding Jay Slater's death were rife after the apprentice bricklayer went missing last summer, and finally his devastated family have been given some answers Jay Slater's cause of death has been revealed during an inquest, finally debunking a long-standing rumour surrounding the teenager who went missing in Tenerife last summer. The 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, died after sustaining multiple injuries consistent with a fall in a rocky area. His remains were found near the village of Masca in July, 2024, after he went missing following the Spanish island's NRG music festival the previous month. The Spanish Civil Guard said Jay could have fallen in the steep and inaccessible area where he was found. His disappearance sparked a huge wave of media attention before his body was found. And now during an inquest into his death at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday, Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd said Jay's body was already decomposing when he examined it. However, he said the teenager's cause of death was a head injury. A CT scan showed there was "a severe fracture of the head." He explained: "There were extensive changes due to decomposition. There were changes due to the period of time he was lying in a hot environment - changes I would expect to see in that period of 28 days or thereabouts." Dr Shepherd said Jay suffered several injuries but "that to the head is by far the most important one in understanding why Jay died". He said this involved "the application of considerable force" and added: "The pattern of injuries is entirely consistent with a heavy fall from height." Dr Shepherd told the inquest, even if Jay had been admitted to a specialist neurosurgical unit, the head injury was so serious it is highly unlikely he could have survived. "The injury is so severe that death was either instantaneous or extremely quick," he said. The Spanish authorities also concluded that the cause of Jay's death was a severe traumatic brain injury. This debunks a long-standing rumour that there was any third-party criminal involvement in Jay's disappearance, including one theory that he was murdered after stealing a £12,000 Rolex. During the inquest, it was revealed that Jay admitted stealing the luxury timepiece and was pictured with knives hours before he died. Between 5:03am and 5:52am on the morning Jay vanished, a message was sent from his phone saying: "Just took a £12k Rolly off some **** off to get 10 quid for it now." The inquest heard Jay sent a message to witness Josh Forshaw where he said: "Ended up getting thrown out with two Mali kids, just took an AP [expensive watch strap] off somebody and was on the way to sell it." At the time of his disappearance, even Jay's family were convinced foul play had been involved. Speaking last summer, Jay's uncle Glen Duncan said: "I've been thinking third party involvement from the start. "There's just some things that have already been out there. Why would two lads hire a villa up here? They're down on the strip, you know what it's like down there."
South Wales Argus
22-05-2025
- South Wales Argus
Jay Slater's death from a head injury 'likely instant'
Mr Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, was holidaying on the Spanish island and had been to the NRG music festival with friends at the Papagayo nightclub in the resort of Playa de las Americas on June 16 last year. It is believed that in the early hours of the next day, a Monday, he went to an apartment with other people he had met while on holiday, then subsequently vanished and was reported missing on June 18. His body was found in a steep and inaccessible area by a mountain rescue team from the Spanish Civil Guard near the village of Masca on July 15, 2024. His mother Debbie Duncan, stepfather and other family members attended the inquest into Mr Slater's death at Preston Coroner's Court on Wednesday. LIVE UPDATES: Jay Slater inquest under way after teen's death in Tenerife Home Office pathologist Dr Richard Shepherd detailed the injuries found on Mr Slater from his post-mortem examination findings. Mr Shepherd said, apart from lacerations and cuts to the left side of his head, the major findings were associated with head injuries and his pelvis. He said: 'There was extensive fractures of the left side of his head. Several extensive fractures extending into the bottom of the skull. 'Also fractures to the left side of the pelvis and hip joints. 'The pattern of the injuries were entirely consistent with a heavy fall, a fall from a height, landing on his head.' Dr James Adeley, senior coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, asked the witness if, from the injuries, there was any suggestion of an assault or restraint of the teenager. Dr Shepherd said: 'That's something I considered very carefully, something I would always look to identify. 'The pattern of the injuries when someone is assaulted or restrained are very different from the type of injuries and pattern I found with Jay.' Dr Adeley continued: 'Nothing to suggest that was the case?' Dr Shepherd: 'Nothing to suggest an assault, gripping, holding, nothing of that sort.' The witness was then asked about what effect the skull injuries would have. Dr Shepherd said: 'It would have had an immediate and devastating effect on Jay's consciousness. 'The injuries were so severe I have not doubt he would have been instantly unconscious from the moment of that blow to the head. 'Death could well have been instant the injury was so severe. Jay would undoubtedly be unconscious and unaware. 'It's most likely death would have occurred instantly or extremely soon afterwards.' Dr Shephard said he gave the official cause of death as a head injury. A preliminary Spanish post-mortem examination report recorded the death as 'violent', with the immediate cause being 'traumatic shock' and a severe traumatic brain injury. Dr Shepherd said the findings were consistent with his own findings. Toxicology expert Dr Stephanie Martin told the hearing there were difficulties checking for the presence of drugs or alcohol in a body so severely decomposed. But she said analysis of Mr Slater's body showed traces of the presence of MDMA and MDA, commonly known as Ecstasy along with cocaine and alcohol. Dr Martin said because of the limitations of the analysis, she could not say exactly how much or how soon before death the drugs had been taken. Analysis of samples by the Spanish authorities also showed the presence of Ketamine which was not found in the UK samples. The hearing continues.
