The Torrevieja Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) conducted two operations on consecutive days, resulting in the arrest of 7 individuals for drug trafficking.

Four arrests and the seizure of a kilo of ketamine in the centre of Torrevieja were the outcomes of one of the two operations.

The incident transpired on March 23rd at 1:00 p.m. A vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction entered a central street while officers from the Torrevieja Citizen Security Unit (USECIC) were conducting a crime prevention service in the town. The vehicle was subsequently stop. When they requested the driver’s credentials, he denied possessing a driver’s licence and presented a photograph of a licence that was purportedly issued in Colombia. After conducting a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle and its occupants, the officers proceeded to identify the remaining individuals.

Upon examining the vehicle’s interior, they discovered a dose of pink cocaine in the glove compartment, as well as over €1,000 in cash, which was further divided into bills of varying denominations. Another small bag of cocaine was discovered among the personal possessions of the woman who was travelling in the passenger seat. The remaining two passengers were discovered to be in possession of an additional €300 in cash and a kilo of ketamine, which they had concealed within a rucksack.

Guardia Civil officers also confirmed that the driver’s license photo provided by the driver was tampered with and that he did not possess a driver’s license.

The four individuals, two men aged 26 and 27, and two women aged 28 and 43, are of Colombian descent and have been apprehended for narcotic trafficking. The driver is also charged with a traffic violation for falsifying documents and travelling without a licence.

A total of 1 kilogramme of ketamine, 8 grammes of pink cocaine, also known as “tusi,” 1,495 euros, several mobile phones, and the vehicle used to commit the offences were seized.

An additional three individuals were apprehended for narcotic trafficking during a search of the AP7.

However, the previous day, March 22nd, officers from the same Unit had apprehended three additional individuals: two men aged 31 and 35, and a 34-year-old woman. These individuals are being accused with a separate drug trafficking offence, in which the Civil Guard seized 150 grammes of cocaine and 2,415 euros.

The seven detainees have been released on parole, and the Investigating Court No. 4 of Torrevieja has received the proceedings for both cases.

Craig Ainsworth, the bodyguard who served as the protector of luminaries including the Beckhams, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Zendaya, was discovered deceased in the Valencian town of Lliria on Sunday. The former British police officer’s lifeless body was discovered by two men who were strolling through San Vicente municipal park. They immediately raised the alarm.

A day prior to his suicide, Ainsworth, who was 40 years old, posted a farewell message on his Facebook profile: “Goodbye, beautiful people.” Living is the most uncommon phenomenon on Earth. This will come as a surprise to the majority of you; however, my suffering has been immense for the past four years (…).

Two patrols from the Lliria Local Police and one from the Guardia Civil responded to the alert that a man had hanged himself in the municipal area. Additionally, a physician and a team of firefighters were present.

An inspection was conducted by the initial officers on the scene, and no criminal evidence was discovered. The documents discovered within a rucksack located a few metres from the body were used to identify Ainsworth.

Officers located the rental car that the bodyguard used to travel from Dénia to Lliria in the municipal parking area. Before the body was transported to the Valencia Institute of Legal Medicine for an autopsy, a second investigation was conducted in the pine forest by a team from the Lliria Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police.

The vehicle was also examined by specialists from the armed institute, who discovered no evidence that anyone had accompanied Ainsworth in the car from Dénia to Lliria. The Civil Guard’s investigations indicate that he made the decision to commit suicide without the assistance of anyone.

In an effort to locate her son, Ainsworth’s mother had utilised social media platforms. The individual who served in the military was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. After being informed by an acquaintance of her daughter about the potential location of the bodyguard’s phone, the woman travelled to the Lliria area.

Life’s Challenges
However, what was the reason for his suicide? He elaborates on several of the challenges that life presented to him in his departure letter: “I lost some truly amazing people I was proud to call friends and colleagues, particularly Ryan and Jamie, who were like brothers to me, and the lockdown (from the pandemic) destroyed everything I had built.”

In his final remarks, he expresses his gratitude for his family and friends, as well as his rebuke of those who attacked and humiliated him. “I lived the life of ten men.” I lived with a pure spirit and good intentions (…). I made an effort to spread positivity and assist others. Another paragraph of the ex-marine’s letter states, “My confidence has been shattered by everyone who speaks about me without interacting with me.”

“I urge anyone who is contemplating self-harm to seek assistance.” Please refrain from copying me, as you are unaware of the ordeals I have endured. Those who are most closely associated with me will be delighted that I have discovered tranquillity. The bodyguard suggests, “Consider that.”

Ainsworth had a wealth of experience in private security and had served as a police officer in the United Kingdom. He safeguarded the Beckhams from threats and hazards, including obsessive fans, and accompanied the couple to public events and on travels while serving as their bodyguard.

He is described by his professional associates as a discreet and experienced bodyguard who maintained a close relationship with the Beckhams. Additionally, he safeguarded other public figures and personalities, including Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Hemsworth.

Following his detention in Portugal last month, murder suspect Jonny Smyth has been extradited to Spain.

The 27-year-old male from Northern Ireland is presently incarcerated in a remand prison in the south-western Extremadura region of Spain, near the border town of Badajoz, after being forcibly transported across the border by law enforcement.

In anticipation of an expected transfer to the Costa Blanca, where he is the subject of an ongoing investigation into the murder of West Belfast father-of-two John George, a magistrate there ordered his remand in jail over the weekend.

On March 25th, Smyth was apprehended in Portugal on an international arrest warrant after being located at an Airbnb in Braga, a city located in the far northern region of the country.

He is expected to be summoned before the Torrevieja-based investigating magistrate who is investigating Mr. George’s murder, in order to ratify his continued detention in Spain.

The hearing will be conducted behind closed doors, as is customary in Spain, where only trials are conducted in public, similar to the post-extradition court appearance in Badajoz.

Yesterday afternoon, Tuesday April 8th, a high-ranking court official confirmed that Smyth was now back on Spanish soil. The official stated, “The detainee was initially placed at the disposal of the courts of Badajoz after his extradition to Spain. The courts of Badajoz agreed to place him in provisional detention at the disposal of the Torrevieja court.”

“The Torrevieja court is currently anticipating a report on the proceedings that took place in Badajoz in order to determine the appropriate course of action.”

Last year, Mr. George, 37, disappeared on December 14th. His family reported him missing when he failed to board a scheduled flight home four days later, following a brief vacation.

On January 7th, his body was discovered concealed beneath overgrown lemon trees, near the town of Rojales. After nearly 72 hours in police detention, a man who was arrested on suspicion of homicide later that day appeared in court on January 10th. Manuel Ramon Rives, his defence counsel in Costa Blanca, blamed the decision to detain him on his “recent friendship” with a man whom he claimed the police were pursuing at the time as the alleged perpetrator.

The police force, which has been extremely secretive about its investigation and has declined requests for interviews, issued the following statement following Smyth’s arrest: “In the context of Operation Resistente, which is being conducted by the Territorial Judicial Police Team of Pilar de la Horadada in response to an intentional homicide committed by an Irish citizen in the municipality of Rojales, we have received information through SIRENE regarding the arrest of a 27-year-old man in the Portuguese city of Braga on March 25th.”

“The Portuguese police executed the arrest in accordance with a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Court of Instruction Number Two in Torrevieja.”