The Guardia Civil has verified that John George, a Belfast resident, was fatally shot on December 14th, and they have declared that their investigation into his murder has been finalised.
Guardia Civil officers have also appeared to rule out the possibility of additional arrests after revealing that the evidence they have gathered indicates that the two suspects were present with the 37-year-old victim at the time of his most recent communication with his father.

Jonny Smyth, the suspected murderer, was apprehended at an Airbnb in Braga, northern Portugal, on March 25th and subsequently extradited to Spain earlier this month.

The initial arrestee, a Czech national who has not been officially identified, is currently released on bond; however, he is still under investigation as an alleged accomplice.

Only the two arrests and the discovery of John’s body in Rojales, near Torrevieja on Spain’s Costa Blanca, were confirmed by detectives, who had been extremely reticent regarding their investigation.

Today, they announced their initial comprehensive comments regarding the case by releasing new video footage of property searches they conducted as part of their investigation and footage from the location in an orchard where the victim’s body was discovered.

Additionally, they stated that the primary suspect abandoned his two pet dogs when he departed Spain with his girlfriend in a hurry in order to elude capture, following John’s father Billy’s report of his disappearance.

According to a spokesperson for the Guardia Civil in Alicante, the investigation into the disappearance of a young Irish man in December of last year has been finalised. This follows the arrest of the alleged material author of the man’s homicide in Braga, Portugal, in April and the subsequent extradition of the individual.

“The victim’s body was discovered approximately two weeks after his father reported him missing, believing that he was in Benidorm visiting friends.”

The body was discovered in Rojales, near Torrevieja, by investigators who conducted a thorough investigation of the area due to their suspicion that the man’s disappearance was involuntary and that the crime associated with it may have been committed in the area.

“The two suspects had already been identified by the officers prior to the discovery.” On the same day that the body was discovered, one of them was apprehended.

The force spokesman stated that the police investigation commenced on December 21st when Mr. George reported his son missing after flying to Spain from Northern Ireland to search for him. He also stated that officers began a reconstruction of what could have happened from the moment the victim vanished after reaching Spain on December 6th.

“They contacted individuals who had been in contact with him since that day and interviewed witnesses.”

“The evidence they collected indicated that the deceased man was in the company of the two individuals who were identified as the primary suspects at the time of his last communication with his father.”

“The initial arrest was made a few hours after the body was discovered. The individual in question is a 32-year-old Czech national who resides in Torrevieja. He is suspected of being an accomplice and is currently out on bail.”

“The Guardia Civil continued its efforts to locate the second suspect, the individual who was suspected of being the perpetrator of the murder. Investigators have gathered information that the individual allegedly fled Spain after the homicide and after the police were informed of his disappearance.”

“He fled the country with his girlfriend in a hurry, leaving his two pet dogs at his residence on the Orihuela Costa on the Costa Blanca in order to evade capture.”

“The Guardia Civil requested the issuance of a European Arrest Warrant for him and the collaboration of other police forces through Interpol. He was apprehended in Portugal on March 25th and extradited to Spain on April 3rd.”

Officers have referred to Smyth as an individual who has “previous in his country of origin,” despite the fact that Spanish police did not formally identify him in an extensive statement.

It was not immediately apparent whether they were referring to his criminal record with convictions or his status as a person known to the police as a result of previous arrests.

In anticipation of an ongoing investigation conducted by a judge in Torrevieja, he has been remanded in detention.

The autopsy revealed that the victim died from gunshot wounds on the night of December 14th, the same day that the victim spoke with his father for the last time and a week before the father reported him missing, according to the Guardia Civil.

During a property search, the police removed tin foil-wrapped parcels from an air conditioning vent, as evidenced by the video footage released by the police force.

The footage did not immediately indicate which of the two suspects’ properties were being searched.

The defence attorney for the man who is being described as an alleged accomplice and the first individual to be apprehended has justified the decision to detain his client by referencing his “recent friendship” with Smyth.

The National Police have successfully dismantled a sexual exploitation network in Elche that also involved the trafficking of synthetic narcotics, including pink cocaine, or “tusi.”

The operation concluded with the release of ten sexually exploited women. It also involved the arrest of twelve individuals who were associated with this criminal organisation, which operated out of two brothels in the municipality of Alicante.

The investigation commenced with an anonymous complaint

The National Police received an anonymous citizen complaint via email, which initiated the case. The message informed them of the presence of a network that sexually exploited South American women between the ages of 20 and 30 in a house situated in a district of Elche. After verifying the information and locating two brothels operated by the same network, officers initiated a comprehensive police operation.

Forced prostitution and complete control over victims

Deceptive employment offers from South America were used to bring the women to Spain. Once they arrived in the country, the organisation informed them that they had accumulated substantial debt and were required to repay it by working as escorts seven days a week. The victims were prohibited from leaving the premises at any time and were under constant surveillance by video surveillance cameras that were installed in the structures.

Hierarchical criminal organisation
Twelve individuals, each of whom was between the ages of 19 and 50, comprised the network. A couple, with assistance from a variety of collaborators, oversaw the scheme.

These individuals included an advertising professional who was responsible for managing advertisements on sex websites and several individuals who were responsible for transporting the victims. Additionally, they had connections in South America, where they recruited the women by making fraudulent promises of employment and exploiting their vulnerable situation.

Forced consumption and trafficking in “tusi” with clients

A warehouse was discovered during the investigations, which contained pink cocaine that had been adulterated with caffeine. In addition to distributing this substance, the organisation forced victims to ingest and sell it during sexual services. They consequently increased the clients’ reliance and realised larger financial gains.

Weapons, drugs, and money were confiscated during the inspections

The operation involved five home searches, resulting in the confiscation of the following items:

• A total of over 9,000 euros in currency
  
• Two luxurious automobiles
  
• Four simulated weapons, two of which are long and two of which are brief
  
• A variety of narcotic substances, such as MDMA, ketamine, marijuana, and anabolic steroids
  
• Electronic devices, mobile phones, and SIM cards

Additionally, criminal activity produced evidence of financial transactions between Spain and South America that resulted in proceeds exceeding 50,000 euros.

Detainees and the judicial situation

The Elche Court of First Instance has heard the twelve individuals who were apprehended. They have identified six of these individuals as critical members of the organisation and remanded three in detention.

All of them are accused of the following crimes: human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, offences related to prostitution, promoting illegal immigration, and drug trafficking.

Citizen collaboration is essential in the struggle against trafficking

The National Police aimed to emphasise the critical role of the public in the war against human trafficking. This case illustrates that the initial step in liberating victims from sexual exploitation networks can be an anonymous report. The police force encourages the public to persist in their efforts to identify and eradicate these criminal practices.

The Spanish Association of Property and Commercial Registrars reported that the province of Alicante accounted for an impressive 44.34% of total sales in the fourth quarter of 2023, the highest percentage among Spanish provinces in terms of property purchases by foreigners.

British nationals accounted for 9.80% of real estate investments in Spain. German nationals followed at 7.32%, French nationals at 6.06%, Belgian nationals at 5.57%, and Moroccan nationals at 5.50%.

Alicante has sold a total of 48,243 properties in the past year, making it the third most active province in terms of transactions, trailing only Barcelona (58,410) and Madrid (70,235).