Costa Blanca
Businesspeople swindled out of more than 3,000,000€ in Alicante with fake international loans

Five members of a family in Alicante, Madrid, and Almería have been apprehended by the Guardia Civil. Investigators allege that they are part of a criminal organisation that defrauded merchants of over three million euros by promising fictitious international loans. Four victims have been identified by investigators; however, they believe that there are more than twenty.
Agents searched the family properties, which included a luxury residence in one of Alicante’s most exclusive residential areas and a storage room. Agents confiscated vacuum-packed cash during the search (pictured.)
The operation led to the seizure of a luxury vehicle, numerous bank accounts, electronic devices, and documentation related to the fraudulent transactions, in addition to nearly €27,000 in cash. The seizure of movable and immovable property, including a residence valued at over €2 million, was also requested.
The operation was initiated at the end of last year in response to a complaint from a merchant who had been defrauded of over 70,000 euros while applying for a supposed international loan of one million euros. This complaint revealed a criminal network with numerous victims in various provinces of Spain and even abroad. This initial complaint was succeeded by another, which claimed that a company that had submitted an application for a six million euro loan had been defrauded of over 600,000 euros.
Entrepreneurship recruitment
Entrepreneurs who were unable to obtain conventional financing sought alternatives in international private capital, so the organisation recruited them. A network of recruiters, often unaware of the scam, established the initial contact.
The organization’s members subsequently created fraudulent documents, advertised their services in offices located in reputable business districts, and scheduled appointments with a legitimate notary in Paris. The notary, who was unaware of the scheme, merely verified the signatures.
The victims were requested to pay additional amounts, citing bureaucratic or financial complications, after they had already paid the initial fees for management, broking, insurance, or purported international taxes. They never completed the transfer. The fraud was discovered by some victims after they had made multiple payments.
Currently, we have identified four casualties, but we anticipate that the total number of victims could exceed twenty. The economic loss is expected to exceed three million euros. The provinces of Alicante and Almería are the primary locations of those affected.
The married couple who were considered the ringleaders of the scheme were among those detained, and they were already apprehended in 2022 for similar offences during a police operation. The individuals involved in the scheme were able to maintain a high standard of living. The man allegedly violated the order to depart the country on numerous occasions to conduct transactions associated with the scam, including signing at a notary in Paris and collecting cash. Additionally, the other suspects received comprehensive training and were responsible for specific tasks within the conspiracy, including recruiting, translating, and preparing legal documents.
The Urban and Economic Crimes Team of the Alicante Judicial Police Unit conducted the operation with the assistance of the Technological Investigation Team of the same command.
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Costa Blanca
Nuca, the turtle rescued two months ago in Torrevieja, returns to the sea

Nuca, the sea turtle that was rescued in February of last year after becoming ensnared in the port of Torrevieja (Alicante), returned to the sea yesterday, Thursday May 8th, after finishing her recovery process at the Oceanogràfic de Valèncià’s ARCA del Mar.
According to a council statement, the mayor, Eduardo Dolón; the councillor for the Environment and Beaches, Antonio Vidal; the municipal biologist, Juan Antonio Pujol; the president of the Real Club Náutico Torrevieja (RCNT), Carlos Carmona; and the veterinary team from the Oceanogràfic Foundation participated in the release from a boat in the waters off Torrevieja.
The municipal biologist and the RCNT were commended by Dolón for their efforts in recovering Nuca, as well as the Oceanogràfic team, for enabling the turtle to return to the waters from which she was rescued. He anticipates that she will soon return to the Torrevieja coast to deposit her eggs on one of its beaches.
A delicate rescue and a complete recovery
Earlier this year, the turtle, which has been named Nuca, was discovered swimming within the port of Torrevieja. Subsequently, they ensnared it and found it consuming the remnants of fishing activity.
The severity of its condition was confirmed by the capture of the animal, which was conducted by specialised divers from the Oceanogràfic Foundation with the assistance of the municipal biologist and the Real Club Náutico Torrevieja. A previous injury had amputated one of its fins, and a hook had lodged in its oesophagus.
After his transfer, the Oceanogràfic veterinary team used an endoscopy to remove the hook and started treatment to ensure his recovery. The positive development of Nuca in the past few months served as confirmation that he was capable of returning to the sea.
Veterinarians implanted a satellite transmitter into him prior to his immersion in the water, which will enable them to track his movements in real time. The objective is to gather data on his movements following rehabilitation and analyse his behaviour to enhance the protection strategies for this species.
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is supporting this conservation initiative within the framework of the PRTR, which is funded by the European Union-NextGeneration EU.
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80-year-old woman dies on a beach in Los Alcázares

While bathing in the sea atLos Narejos, a municipality of Los Alcázares, an 80-year-old woman passed away on Thursday.
At 1:33 p.m., the Emergency Coordination Centre of the Region of Murcia received a call informing them that a lifeguard had initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres after several individuals rescued an incapacitated bather from the water.
A patrol from the Civil Protection of Los Alcázares has arrived at the location of the Civil Guard and a Mobile Emergency Unit, which is staffed by health personnel from the Emergency and Health Emergency Management 061. Despite their efforts, they were unable to save the victim.
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One dead in the Pilar de la Horadada tunnel after an accident between a car and a truck

A lorry with flammable materials on board overturned in the AP-7 tunnel near Pilar de la Horadada, as it travelled towards Cartagena, resulting in a severe traffic accident. This resulted in a spectacular conflagration and the truck driver’s death.
It appears that the tragedy was the result of a tyre burst on a heavy vehicle. The ferocity of the flames was exacerbated by the truck’s “non-hazardous” cargo and the accident’s location within the tunnel. Additionally, the same sources indicate that at the time of the accident, an additional vehicle was present within the tunnel, unaffected by the fire. The driver of this vehicle was able to escape independently.

The Consortium has dispatched three command headquarters units (UMJ), two heavy urban fire trucks (BUP9), three heavy tanker trucks (BNP), a rescue van (FSV), an officer, two non-commissioned officers, a sergeant, three corporals, and 14 firefighters from the Torrevieja, Almoradí, Orihuela, and Elche fire stations to extinguish the fire.
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