13 Apr, 2023 @ 17:26
2 mins read

Swift Irish justice: Son of convicted drug smuggler John Gilligan appears in Dublin court before Spanish extradition warrant even comes through

John Gilligan Court Case
John Gilligan from Dublin leaving Coleraine MagistratesÕ Court in Co Londonderry where he is charged with attempting to remove criminal property from Northern Ireland.

AN IRISH gangster has appeared in a Dublin court over an extradition request by Spanish authorities after he skipped the country last year.

Darren Gilligan, 47, the son of notorious drug trafficker John Gilligan, was due to appear in court for the offence of breaching Public Order and Safety.

He would have taken to the dock alongside his father and seven others in the Costa Blanca resort of Torrevieja in October.

The gang are accused of smuggling cannabis into Ireland hidden among flip-flops, illegally exporting powerful sleeping pills as well as a variety of firearms charges.

But a no-show put the trial on hold as an international arrest warrant was put out for Gilligan by Spanish authorities.

Attempts were made to track him down before eventually declaring him in contempt of court and paving the way for his arrest warrant to be issued this week.

Four Members Of Drugs Gang Led By Irish Criminal John Gilligan Are Arrested On Spain S Costa Blanca
Convicted drug smuggler John Sullivan’s gang were arrested in Torrevieja in October 2020

However, in a bizarre twist, Gilligan was already talking to the stand in a Dublin courtroom before the warrant had even arrived in Ireland.

Instead he was detained on a Schengen Information System (SIS) alert at an address in West Dublin on Wednesday morning.

The arresting detective told the court Gilligan had admitted he was aware of the extradition request.

The court dodger said it came ‘from being in the wrong place at the wrong time over nothing I done.’

Gilligan told the court he had been intending to return to Spain but had not been able to afford the flights.

He has been remanded in custody until the formal European Arrest Warrant comes through to Irish authorities and extradition proceedings can begin.

John Gilligan, 71, was due to appear at a court in Torrevieja on Monday, April 17, for a three-day trial spread over a week, but his trial has now been suspended. 

John Gilligan Arrest
John Gilligan, 71, was due to appear at a court in Torrevieja on Monday, April 17, for a three-day trial spread over a week, but his trial has now been suspended

The convicted gangster faces over eight years in jail if convicted of the charges. 

He previously served 17 years behind bars in Ireland for running a large-scale drug trafficking gang in the nineties that netted over €35 million.

The other suspects include Gilligan’s British girlfriend and his playboy pal, ‘Fat’ Tony Armstrong. 

Prosecutors say Gilligan masterminded a plot to smuggle drugs into Ireland inside consignments of toys and flip-flops.

He was tried in Dublin in 1996 for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin and acquitted.

A search of Gilligan’s villa uncovered a revolver buried in the garden which was similar to the one used to kill Guerin but nothing further could be confirmed.

Brian Meehan, a member of Gilligan’s gang, was given a life sentence for the execution and is still behind bars.

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Walter Finch

Walter Finch, who comes from a background in video and photography, is keen on reporting on and investigating organised crime, corruption and abuse of power. He is fascinated by the nexus between politics, business and law-breaking, as well as other wider trends that affect society.
Born in London but having lived in six countries, he is well-travelled and worldly. He studied Philosophy at the University of Birmingham and earned his diploma in journalism from London's renowned News Associates during the Covid era.
He got his first break in the business working on the Foreign News desk of the Daily Mail's online arm, where he also helped out on the video desk.
He then decided to escape the confines of London and returned to Spain in 2022, having previously lived in Barcelona for many years.
He took up up a reporter role with the Olive Press Newspaper and today he is based in La Linea de la Concepcion at the heart of a global chokepoint and crucial maritime hub, where he edits the Olive Press Gibraltar edition.
He is also the deputy news editor across all editions of the newspaper.

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