Jun.07, 2010

INTERNATIONAL arrest warrants have been issued for Dublin criminals 'Fat' Freddie Thompson and Gary Hutch, both associates of drug baron Christy Kinahan.

Thompson (29) and Hutch (28), who are believed to be lying low in Amsterdam, are the latest targets in an Irish-led crackdown on Kinahan's multi-million drug empire, run from the Costa del Sol.

Operation Shovel saw Kinahan (53), his two sons, Daniel and Christopher, and at least 19 others held in a series of raids two weeks ago, after a two-year investigation by Irish, Spanish and British police.

Hutch, a nephew of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch and Thompson were already named in a list of people judges in Spain wanted to talk to in relation to Kinahan's criminal empire.

But now, the issuing of international arrest warrants by a Spanish court will make it much more difficult for the pair to evade capture by the police.

If intercepted, they can be arrested on sight by EU police forces or border authorities and will then face extradition to Spain.

Hutch, who survived a gun attack in Spain two years ago, now has another good reason for looking over his shoulder every time he walks down the street.

It is also understood that a third international warrant has been issued for a Dublin-based associate of Kinahan's, in relation to money-laundering operations.

Kinahan's right-hand man, John Cunningham (58), failed to show up at a Spanish court last week to answer bail conditions but, as of yet, no arrest warrant has been issued.

Records

Spanish court officials are now preparing to quiz all those arrested, following the early morning raids last month, about drugs trafficking and money laundering.

After they have given statements, a judge will decide whether to make them witnesses or suspects.

Kinahan and his sons and other associates could face a wait of up to two years in police custody as officers track down a €200m trail of assets stretching across four continents.

Vital legal documentation, bank records and computerised files were seized in the searches and will now be used by police as they follow the assets from Ireland to the UK, Spain, Belgium, Brazil, South Africa, Dubai and Cyprus.

Operation Shovel began two years ago as a result of inquiries by the Garda National Drugs Unit into the seizure of a tonne-and-a-half of cannabis in a rural house on the edge of the Bog of Allen, in Co Kildare.

Kinahan is alleged to have established his drug-trafficking empire by setting up a number of legitimate companies, setting up warehouses and buying a fleet of trucks.

The trucks were then used to ship supplies of goods, such as pasta and baby foods, through the ports and test the customs procedures, while also establishing the legitimacy of the companies on shipping records.

The legitimate goods were then allegedly replaced with drugs and the shipments transported to traffickers waiting either here or in the UK.