Bodies of murdered Westies leaders found in Spain

The bodies of two men – believed to be the missing leaders of an Irish crime gang – have been recovered in Alicante.

Gardaí have confirmed that, following a tip-off, the remains were found near the town of Catral, in southern Spain.

Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg, two of the country’s most notorious criminals, have been missing since February 2004. They were last seen by their girlfriends leaving their villa near Alicante.

They were reportedly abducted, shot and dumped by foreign criminals.

Senior detectives, who flew to the region some days ago, are expected to remain in the resort for some time to liaise with Spanish officers.

Formal identification of the pair will not be made for some time, with forensic examinations possibly taking some weeks.

Coates, 31, and Sugg, 26, were members of infamous criminal drug gang known as 'The Westies'.

Based in Blanchardstown, north Dublin, they were suspected of fleeing the country to avoid gardaí and a rival gang.

“Following information received by An Garda Síochana, a request for mutual assistance was lodged with the Spanish authorities, resulting in the commencement of a search of an area near the town of Catral, southern Spain, early this morning,” a garda spokesman said last night.

“The search was carried out by officers from the Guardia Civil, with officers from An Garda Síochana present throughout.

“Late this evening, two bodies were recovered from the site, which is now preserved pending further technical examination.”

Gardaí said their identities and other details relating to the two bodies were not being released at this time.

“An Garda Síochana have been liaising with Spain’s Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil for some time in this investigation and senior Gardaí remain in Spain pending developments in this investigation,” he added.