ISSUE NO. 1659
20 - 26 April 2017
A XARQUÍA - C OSTA T ROPICAL
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
High and dry 39 arrests in false prescription crackdown
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False front TWO elderly expats in Nerja have been victims of jewellery thieves posing as Endesa workers. The fraudsters conned their way into homes in Calle Frigiliana and Calle Canarias, pretending to carry out a survey. One expat had €3,000 in cash stolen, while the other had €21,000 of jewellery taken. The Guardia Civil are now investigating. See page 3
Come ear A 33-YEAR-OLD man who tore the ear off a security guard at a religious site has been jailed. The assailant had battered the 28-year-old guard around the head with a
baseball bat in a “premeditated” attack so violent the victim lost his ear. The judicial authority has now ordered the attacker be transferred to Alhaurin de la Torre prison. See page 5
Easter triumph PINCHED PRESCRIPTIONS: The group enlisted third parties to pose as patients to collect drugs from chemists.
By Matt Ford Spanish police have arrested 39 people after a major false prescription sting in Granada Province and the Canary Islands. The gang is accused of falsifying over 2,200 drug prescriptions and selling pharmaceuticals on the black market. At least 30 of the 29 men and 10
women, aged between 22 and 60, have prior criminal records, say investigators. Their method involved ripping off prescription books and stamps from public health centres, which were subsequently used to order quantities of two psychoactive drugs. Once filled in, the prescriptions were dished out to a number of third parties who posed as patients and collected the
drugs from local chemists. They were then delivered to the ringleaders, who sold them on the black market at a large profit. Additional arrests are expected with least 14 individuals still under investigation, while those already in custody have been charged with falsification of documents, fraud, and crimes against public health.
British expat poll pooper! TENS of thousands of British expatriates will not get a vote in the UK General Election on June 8. Six months ago the British government said it was planning to change the law so that long-term expats who had lived outside the UK for more than 15 years would get a vote in forthcoming polls. But as Prime Minister Theresa May’s general election decision was confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) by MPs in Westminster it became obvious the shock poll announcement had thrown a spanner in the works over the scheduled law change.
A British embassy official in Madrid admitted that while remaining committed to changing the law to enfranchise all British expats, “unfortunately there is not sufficient time to implement this for this general election.” Those eligible to vote by
virtue of having been registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years must first ensure they are on the electoral role before applying for a postal vote. If you registered to vote in last year’s local and mayoral elections, you may not need to re-register.
MALAGA airport has had its busiest Semana Santa yet, with activity similar to that of the summer season. Security worked at full capacity in terminal three, one security guard joking that over the weekend they were “evacuating the city of Malaga.” He recalled that one morning, more than 15,000 people passed through the controls over a three-hour period. See page 8
Lime fail RESIDENTS of Velez-Malaga have complained to Aqualia about lime deposits which are wrecking household appliances. Those living in the town’s centre have
been particularly affected and complain they have to clean their taps’ filters almost daily. Those living in the town’s centre have been particularly affected. See page 10