Alex Trelinski
TWO members of a British gang that terrorised cannabis clubs on the Costa Blanca have been arrested by the Guardia Civil.
One of them is career criminal 32-year-old Sonny Redmond from Bootle, Merseyside who appeared on a ‘most wanted list’ issued by Merseyside police in 2021.
He failed six years ago to attend court to answer drug charges and for breaching an injunction stopping him from being involved with gangs.
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At least four other Brits are being sought following assaults on premises in San Fulgencio’s La Marina urbanisation and on the Orihuela Costa.
The La Marina incident last October saw two British men including Redmond break in- armed with machine guns- to steal around €5,000 of products and €600 in cash as well as threatening an employee.
They then literally took over the business demanding €25,000 from the owner plus a 50% cut of future profits.
The owner- who was not there but was called on the phone- was too scared to report what happened as threats were made.
One message said: “We don’t mess around and we’ll bring the war to you, and we understand you have a wife and children.”
Another warned of ‘blowing his head off’ and was accompanied by videos showing off machine guns.
On a later date, one of the assailants accompanied by gang members tried to force him to sign a legal document handing over control of the club to them.
Despite the threats, the victim’s wife told the Guardia Civil in early November what happened, after armed men visited their home in Pilar de la Horadada.
The two mobsters were identified and a 33-year-old man was arrested in La Marina on November 6 following a surveillance operation outside the cannabis association premises.
He was sent to prison following a court appearance.
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The second man, Sonny Redmond, was arrested on the Orihuela Costa on April 8 and jailed, having left Spain after the La Marina incident.
Redmond, originally from Bootle, even legally changed his name to Peter F., to avoid being found.
He tried to flee the Guardia officers and ran into a house where he held an elderly foreign couple hostage.
The Brit was subdued and detained by officers- three of whom were injured.
Two sub-machine guns were found at his house and over 300 rounds of ammunition.
The Guardia said he had an extensive criminal history in Britain, including links to two shootings in Liverpool- one of them at his mother’s home and an incident where over a dozen shots were fired between gangs in two cars.
Previous convictions included robbery and possession of an offensive weapon which got him a four-year jail sentence, but an early release in 2013.
A search was also carried out at the premises of an old cannabis club in the process of refurbishment on the Orihuela Costa that had been taken over by the British gang.
Officers discovered the building stretched for several floors with ‘hidden’ access to some rooms to carry out ‘illegal activities’.
The Guardia investigation remains active to find the other gang members as well as additional victims.
“early release in 2013” and now at it again.
Should be locked up, and the keys thrown away. We don’t need scumbags like these.