Costa Blanca

Six years of expulsion from Spain for leading a gang that prostituted women

A Romanian man in his sixties was tried yesterday, Monday May 5th, by the Alicante Court on two separate charges. The charges stemmed from his involvement in an organised group that aimed to force women into prostitution through an enslavement system. The court imposed a six-year ban from Spain on the man.

The Prosecutor’s Office conjectured that the defendant was accountable for the recruitment and transportation of the victims, the majority of whom were minors and originated from Romania. Once they arrived in the province of Alicante, the defendant directed them to various regions within the province or the country for prostitution.

After his defence reached an agreement in accordance with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the accused admitted the facts during the two proceedings scheduled for this Monday before the same court as the Second Section.

The agreement has resulted in a reduction of the total sentences from 26 years and three months for the first trial and 58 for the second to a total of 26 years: 5 years and 8 months for the first case and an additional 21 for the second. This reduction was achieved by applying both the mitigating circumstance of acknowledgement of the facts and the highly qualified one of undue delays, as determined by the defence attorney, Roberto Sánchez, given that the events in both proceedings occurred over 20 years ago, between 2001 and 2004.

Nevertheless, the sentence, which has been rendered definitive after being administered in person, consists of a maximum of six years of expulsion from the national territory, contingent upon the parties’ agreement. The accused’s dangerousness and the delays, as well as the fact that he had already served nearly four years in pretrial detention in Spain, have been considered.

The defence attorney has stated that the expulsion sentence in Romania, the defendant’s country of origin, will be effective immediately. The defendant had previously served time for homicide in Romania.

The first case results in his conviction for one count of criminal association, which carries a sentence of one year in prison. They also find him guilty of two counts of adult prostitution, each carrying a one-year prison sentence. Additionally, he is sentenced to eight months in prison for receiving stolen goods. Finally, he is found guilty of one count of conspiracy to murder for allegedly running a criminal organisation that specialised in violent crimes at Fontcalent Prison, which carries a sentence of one year and nine months.

The prosecution alleges that the man, who was in possession of a cell phone, directed several members of the gang to murder two individuals with whom the criminal organisation had unresolved business. Nevertheless, the Civil Guard successfully averted the executions.

Additionally, in the second case, he is found guilty of eight offences of prostitution for minors, each of which is punishable by two years in prison; four offences related to prostitution for adults, each of which is punishable by one year in prison; and a continuing offence of falsifying official documents, for which he is sentenced to an additional year in prison.

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Costa Blanca

Consum announces the opening of new stores in Aldaia, Alaquàs, Sueca, Xàtiva, Massanassa and Torrevieja

Consum expands its operations in the Valencian Community and announces the opening of additional stores in six towns throughout Valencia. The Valencian cooperative’s comprehensive network of supermarkets in the region is further enhanced by these new openings.

New Consum stores are scheduled to open in Valencia in 2025

The following are the new stores that Consum will establish in the towns of Valencia:

Alaquàs

Aldaia

Massanassa

Sueca

Xàtiva

Torrevieja (Alicante)

Three of the stores that were acquired from Kuups last year have enabled the establishment of some of these new supermarkets. These have already been assigned an estimated opening date:

Massanassa (C/ Medi Ambient), which is scheduled to commence operations at the conclusion of May.
Alaquàs (Av. Blasco Ibáñez) and Aldaia (Av. Miguel Hernández) will launch under the Consum brand in the middle of the year.
Consum intends to maintain its pace of establishing 53 new supermarkets in 2025, including 18 of its own stores and 35 Charter stores, as well as to execute 31 renovations and expansions.

In 2024, Consum achieved revenues of €4,707.03 million, a 7.3% increase, and profits of €108.7 million, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. These figures substantiate the business model advocated by the Valencian cooperative, which is founded on price competitiveness, a diverse selection of leading brands without sacrificing the quality of its own brand, and a steadfast dedication to ensuring customer savings through discounts and gift vouchers. More than €62.2 million has been allocated to this initiative.

Antonio Rodríguez Lázaro, the CEO of Consum, stated that “these results are indicative of the dedication of our entire team, the confidence of our customers, and our capacity to adjust to change while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

It maintained its sixth position in the national classification of distribution companies by surface area throughout the year, increasing its market share by 0.1% to 4.7% of the national market. Nielsen reports that its market share by sales in its area of influence is 13.45%.

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Costa Blanca

The El Raso, Guardamar celebrates with a Tapas Route and concerts between May 15th and 17th

The programme for the third edition of the Guardamar del Segura City Council’s festivities has been unveiled in collaboration with the residents’ association of the El Raso Urbanisation, an area that is home to a significant number of international residents.

Between May 15th and 17th, the El Raso Urbanisation will commemorate its festivities with a Tapas Route and concerts. The festivities will take place on Thursday, May 15th and Friday, May 16th, and will feature an International Tapas Route featuring twelve establishments, which is two more than the previous year. María Venerdi, the Councillor for Festivals, has announced that participants will be able to experience tapas and a drink for 3.50 euros. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to participate in a drawing for a variety of rewards and vote for their preferred tapa on the “Tapaporte.” Last year’s edition saw the sale of over 7,000 tapas, as emphasised by the local organisers.

José Luis Sáez, the mayor of Guardamar, has emphasised the significance of “neighbourhoods becoming increasingly integrated into the dynamics of the municipality,” and he has noted that this event has “consolidated itself and become a great gastronomic celebration for the municipality.”

The city council will also offer a transport service that will travel to all participating venues in order to simplify the process of travelling.

Auditorio del Campo will host a grand celebration on Saturday, May 17th, commencing at 6 p.m. The event will feature a variety of musical groups, including the Costa Blanca Singers, who will serve as the opening act.

The charitable nature of these festivities has been emphasised by the Guardamar councillor for Festivals. The El Raso festival committee has sold T-shirts for the Tapas Route at a price of 10 euros. The proceeds of these sales, in addition to those from the bar service on the 17th, will be donated entirely to charitable causes, including the ‘El Milagro de Ver’ Foundation, which is dedicated to enhancing eye health in developing countries, and to those impacted by DANA in Valencia.

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Costa Blanca

Elche joins the national protests for Palestine on May 10th

Tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, the Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee has scheduled a demonstration in accordance with the national mobilisations under the slogan “Move for Palestine.” The march will commence at 7:00 p.m., and the rally will be held at the Chimeneas de L’Algeps in Elche at 6:30 p.m.

The initiative aims to denounce the situation in Gaza and Palestine as a whole, and to encourage citizens to demonstrate their solidarity and demand genuine action to halt the violence. The Elche Palestine Solidarity Committee extends an invitation to all individuals, irrespective of their gender or age, to participate in this collective demonstration.

As part of a coordinated campaign to increase awareness of the situation in Palestine and demand an end to the violence and occupation, this mobilisation is one of a series of demonstrations that have been organised in various cities throughout Spain.