Brink's-Mat Suspect Arrested in Tenerife Over Violent Crime Gang

Summary

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NOTORIOUS timeshare fraudster John "Goldfinger" Palmer has been arrested in Spain on suspicion of masterminding a multi-million- pound Tenerife crime gang. Palmer, 57, once dubbed Britain's richest gangster, was seized by armed officers at the island's airport as he stepped off a jet from London. He is suspected of leading a violent organised crime group involved in fraud, money-laundering, drug trafficking, bribing public officials, possessing firearms and falsifying passports and credit cards. The conman, whose crime empire is valued at 300 million, was freed from a British jail two years ago after serving half of an eight-year sentence for conspiracy to defraud. The former jeweller made his fortune selling non-existent holiday homes to 17,000 unsuspecting tourists. He was nicknamed Goldfinger after he was accused and cleared, amid widespread allegations of jury nobbling, of dishonestly handling gold from the 27 million Brink's-Mat robbery at Heathrow Airport in 1983.

Palmer was arrested on Tuesday evening by a specialist plain clothes Spanish police team who travelled with him on the same plane from London. In a statement police said: "John Palmer is considered to be the head of a criminal organisation which operated from Tenerife dedicated to multiple criminal activities." Palmer has long been suspected of involvement in a string of violent crimes in Tenerife connected with timeshare dealings. Last year a British couple, who once worked for him, were found murdered on the island. Billy Robinson, who ran a timeshare business, had been tortured before his throat was slit and his body dumped in his Porsche. His wife Florence was bludgeoned to death. Police believe the couple were victims of hitmen because of their involvement in a timeshare turf war. Palmer's crime empire is suspected of having criminal links to Britain. Police believe he continued to manage his entire crime network during his years in prison. A Spanish police source said: "You can calculate in hundreds of millions of euros the criminal benefits obtained by this gang in the last few years. He has investments in Tenerife and the Costa del Sol worth more than 244 million."

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Brink's-Mat Suspect Arrested in Tenerife Over Violent Crime Gang

After Tuesday's arrest, Palmer was taken to a local polic...

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