Ireland

Dramatic footage shows arrest of convicted drug trafficker John Gilligan by Spanish police

Spanish police raiding the Alicante hideaway of John Gilligan
Spanish police raiding the Alicante hideaway of John Gilligan Spanish police raiding the Alicante hideaway of John Gilligan

DRAMATIC footage of the arrest of convicted drug trafficker John Gilligan also shows Spanish police use a metal detector to locate a gun buried in a garden.

Police said among four handguns recovered during a series of raids in Alicante was a Colt Python revolver which is the same make and model of the weapon used to murder investigative journalist Veronica Guerin in 1996.

Gilligan was acquitted of the murder but the judge said he had grave suspicions he was involved and sentenced him to 28 years in prison for drug trafficking.

The 68-year-old was one of six people arrested following the raids which the Spanish authorities say is part of an investigation into an Irish-led criminal gang involved in trafficking guns and drugs to the UK and Ireland.

Footage of armed police raiding the villa where Gilligan was living was posted online by Spanish authorities.

Investigators found four kilogrammes of marijuana and 11,000 pills at the house, bringing the total seizure to 8kg and 26,000 pills in the operation, which involved searches of four properties.

Spanish police said the gang trafficked drugs through the postal system.

Charges against Gilligan of attempting to remove criminal property in Northern Ireland were dismissed last year.

He had been arrested at Belfast International Airport with €23,000 in a suitcase in 2018, which he said was intended to be used to rent a property in Spain.

Ballistics tests will now be carried out on the weapon seized in Alicante.

Spanish police said they are liaising with gardaí to determine if the gun is the same one used in the murder of Ms Guerin.

Gardaí said they cannot comment on an investigation being carried out by another law enforcement agency, but confirmed they are working closely with the Spanish authorities.