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Date Published: 04/10/2022

ARCHIVED - Irish drug lord John Gilligan stands trial in Spain

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The crime boss faces eight years behind bars in Spain if convicted of drugs and weapons charges

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Irish drug lord John Gilligan stands trial in Spain

Irish gangster John Gilligan, 70, is due to stand trial in Spain on Tuesday October 4 and faces up to eight years and four months in prison if convicted of all the drug trafficking and weapons possession charges levied against him.

Gilligan, who lives in a lavish Torrevieja villa reportedly worth 300,000 euros with his girlfriend, was originally arrested back in October 2020 with several other suspects when his home and business premises were raided. A gun found buried in his garden was at first thought to have been the weapon used in the 1996 assassination of Sunday Independent reporter Veronica Guerin, but was later shown to be a different model entirely.

Nevertheless, state prosecutors are demanding an 18-month prison sentence for unlawful weapon possession, on top of two years for trafficking cannabis from Spain to Ireland, four years for smuggling sleeping pills and another 10 months for belonging to a criminal organisation.

The notorious gang member and his crew were caught red-handed preparing a large shipment of drugs in the Costa Blanca property. According to the indictment: “One [consignment] opened on October 2020 contained seven boxes of children’s toys, two flip-flops and inside a towel, two packets containing marijuana buds weighing 685 and 700 grammes respectively.”

Other similar packages were found stuffed with 27,000 prescription sleeping pills including Limovane and Zoplicone, commonly used by heroin addicts.

Also standing trial are Gilligan’s girlfriend Sharon Oliver, his son Darren and his associate ‘Fat’ Tony Armstrong, who escaped conviction in Spain in July 2006 for the murders of Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg, whose bodies were discovered buried under a rented warehouse.

Gilligan was acquitted of the murder of Veronica Guerin although at the time, the judge said he had “grave suspicions” that the crime boss was behind the assassination. Instead, Brian ‘Tosser’ Meehan was convicted and is still behind bars today.

The police did manage to nab Gilligan for trafficking two tonnes of cannabis resin and he was sentenced to 28 years in prison. He was released after 17 years in October 2013.

It’s not known whether the drug baron’s lawyers plan to ask for a plea deal to reduce his sentence at this late stage but in any event, the trial is only expected to last one day.

Images: Policia Nacional

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