NOTORIOUS career criminal Angel Suarez Flores, nicknamed “Casper”, was arrested in Madrid on May 12.
Suarez Flores, a 50-year-old father of three, was born in Buniel (Burgos) but grew up in Belgium where he is still wanted on drugs’ charges.
Twenty-one associates of different nationalities were also taken into custody, not only in Madrid and Barcelona but throughout Spain, including Malaga, Torrevieja (Alicante) and Gandia (Valencia).
Nothing if not versatile, Suarez Flores headed a team specialising in abduction, extortion, drugs dealing and money laundering. They were also expert robbers, frequently breaking through walls or ceilings to reach a target, hence the Casper nickname.
Already well-known to the police, Casper became a household name when he was jailed for 9 months after stealing 19 pictures – one a Goya worth €12 million – from the Madrid home of Esther Koplowitz, Spain’s wealthiest woman, in 2001.
In June 2009, police discovered that Angel Suarez Flores and his followers were now focusing elsewhere. Rather than entering a dormant period with fewer robberies, the gang was stealing drugs shipments from other criminals before they could take delivery.
They used highly sophisticated equipment, admitted a rueful Andres Dieguez, head of the central organised crime unit, but Casper and his men would nonetheless travel 600 kilometres for a 10-minute, face-to-face conversation.
Business was never discussed over the telephone and mobile numbers changed every three days, Dieguez said.
Neither did the gang shun low-tech torture when, in late December 2009, the Suarez Flores concern decamped en masse to Andalucia.
They were keeping a close watch on the Algeciras docks (Cadiz) where another drugs ring intended to pick up a shipment of cocaine camouflaged in a container-load of wood from Costa Rica.
After several days’ surveillance they abducted a dispatcher working for the container firm, and took him to premises they had rented on the Cortijo Real industrial estate.
Here they threatened and tortured him, cutting off one of his toes with an axe to force him into revealing where to find the container. Ironically, Suarez Flores and his men failed to locate the drugs despite the dispatcher’s reluctant input.
By now, police were on Suarz Flores’ trail and he was arrested last August but released for lack of evidence. Later he was held responsible for the disappearance of 2,000 kilos of cocaine from Alicante docks that October.
Nevertheless the gang were by now under constant police surveillance and their days were numbered.
“Either I’ll be a multimillionaire or I’m going to prison for a long time,” he confided in a bugged conversation at the Madrid gym where he worked out each day.
By Annie Maples
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3:55 pm
i read the article of annie maples and see the picture..the face make me see of the ugly guy in the publicite media markt, we see when we visited palacio de las ferias,malaga,he has a wig.it is a strange face.
i note it and posible it not him.. it seem to be similar face,it is crazy i know…i get the idea because my friend before she comment about a face (she think) of little girl of the english woman she hear make deals cocaine.it is mi colchon publicite and centro recambios publicite the gas station of algarrobbo..she say look similar the woman who has hotel. she comment.. makes to be so respectable but hears ,she certainly turns a blind eye..becuase her team to play darts make their fiesta tuesdays.they know some of them for their cocaine and marujana.
This is just gossip.
My friend is very sad. the daughter of her friend in competa she died.They say sobre dosis..but many say the drug it was bad, poison.the reason, because we hear many the young peoples made very ill this year past.especially of the stomach.
We are very worried,we know there is always cocaine and heroine now..it is not similar the marujana.
before they grow the plant in the campo…but many they are robbed..so they must make buy.
It is a very difficult situation here.
Many parents have fear …many people think it go away…nobody want to talk to do something.people
they say the gusrdia civil are with this also…what can we do.
we wish they make all drugs without to be crime.we think then they know it is bad..so many..and then what to do.
the kids they have depression and angry.its very bad.many have problems..or go to prison and they return and it is more bad.there is little help.and for the parents?
they make law in united states… it say food is drug.We think all is drug if food is drup. all is chemical.if they make illegal, they make it more interesting and more difficult to control the consume.we think that it is business very big and when it is big it is no quality because everybody just wants to make money…similar all business.
we are very grateful to read of other people that something is happening posative.It is depressing for all.
The young people have little work and the money they spend on drugs and they are robando.They are many divorces and problems of violence.We know that much violence happens in the home,when the women share the secrets.men are aggressive ..and when we know who that makes the violence we know that it happens because they are peop`le that take the cocaine .
We understand why the woman takes it also when the guy is doing it..there is much obligacion.
The machos are dominant and without care..another friend comment how her neighbour… he really changed..he is young man and was so good guy..now he is really bad with the old grandmother.similar he do not love her now..
we wonder why….
they tell us that a woman she die becus her partner push her through window.. they do not say if the guy had bad thing in his blood, his blood so crazy … he no see reason or want to talk about problems.
we know it is men victims also. the women who get with cocaine and puts them super cool and violent also..
never we hear of the men victims..
we believe there is much that they can do.. help educate the young people of the bad side of this drug
they make glamourous..
we see the childrenj bored at school..they are clever kids and imaginative..
one friend her son..she took his mobile and saw foto …her son age 11 at school takes line of cocaine…his friend took foto of it with his mobile.she hear of it because he tell his friends and a woman she told her.it is un believable.he is a good clever kid.
the kids tell us that they offer cocaine with alchol in reunions in the village and some say they injected..they say it is better because it dont smell similar porro…and it dont make them with big eyes.
we see this business so big..it is a bad thing.we are afraid for the future.
now there is less work …less money…it is very bad in the little villages..they are forgotten. people want to make deal because it make a lot of money very fast.the kid feel the temptacion very much.they want many things,now parents they cannot buy.they have not work enough.
I ask a guy where it come from..they always make joke of velez malaga..but he said no.. malaga…
we are grateful and prayer for all the people that help.it is difficult job for police
This is not natural world they make for our kids.
We hope that we can improve.
I am reading euro weekly news..they are very good stories,thankyou very much.
mothers of competa