Gardaí honoured by Spanish police

Two gardaí have been honoured by Spanish police for their work in fighting gangland crime.

Detective superintendent Seamus Boland of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau within special crime operations, and a Garda liaison officer attached to security and intelligence, were honoured by the Guardia Civil.

The officers were awarded the merit order cross of the Guardia Civil at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Guardia Civil, in Mallorca.

Co-operation between the forces included assistance provided by gardaí in a case involving the conviction of James Quinn, 35, at a court in Malaga, in June 2018.

Quinn was convicted in relation to the murder of Gary Hutch in September 2015, which sparked the Kinahan-Hutch feud, and for illegal weapons possession.

The Garda liaison officer has not been identified for security reasons.

Since the bureau was established in 2015, it has been involved in the seizure of almost 100 weapons, including 11 machine-guns, seven assault rifles, eight shotguns, 55 handguns and five rifles.

Investigations relating to organised crime undertaken by special crime operations have resulted in the seizure of almost €8.5m in cash and drugs with an estimated street value of €155m.