article_detail

Irish criminal John Gilligan could spend more than 11 years behind bars if he is convicted of drug trafficking, illegal firearm possession and membership of a criminal gang following a police raid on his home in Orihuela Costa.

 

Spanish prosecutors are seeking a total prison sentence of 11 years and three months, together with a €120,000 fine, according to an indictment submitted to a court in Elche.

 

The 74-year-old, who has a long criminal history in Ireland, was arrested on December 18, 2024, during a major investigation involving Spain's National Police and the UK's National Crime Agency.

 

Officers raided his Costa Blanca property in the early hours of the morning as part of Operation Overlord, an investigation into an alleged synthetic drugs laboratory operating along Spain's eastern coast.

 

Prosecutors now allege that Gilligan supervised the operation at the property, which they say was used to manufacture, store and prepare illegal substances for distribution and sale.

 

According to the indictment, officers seized ketamine, cocaine and cannabis at the property, with an estimated combined street value of almost €5,000.

 

Investigators also recovered equipment and materials allegedly used in drug processing, alongside substances linked to the manufacture of synthetic drugs.

 

A firearm discovered hidden inside an exterior wall was another key part of the case. Experts reportedly determined that the weapon, originally a starter pistol, had been modified so it could fire conventional ammunition. Prosecutors say Gilligan did not have the required licence or certificate to possess the weapon.

 

The charges against him carry separate proposed sentences. Prosecutors are seeking eight years for alleged drug trafficking, two years and six months for illegal possession of a firearm and nine months for alleged membership of a criminal gang.

 

Gilligan is due to face trial alongside two brothers from North Macedonia who were also arrested during the investigation. The brothers face a potential combined sentence of up to seven years and nine months each, according to reports.

 

Gilligan spent more than eight months in pre-trial detention following his arrest before being released in August 2025 after paying €10,000 bail. His release came with conditions, including surrendering his passport, remaining in Spain and reporting regularly to the authorities.

 

No trial date has yet been announced.

 

The latest proceedings follow a separate case involving Gilligan's alleged role in a drug-smuggling operation between Spain and Ireland. In September 2023, he received a suspended 22-month prison sentence under a plea agreement relating to cannabis trafficking, illegal firearm possession and the export of prescription medication.

 

Gilligan previously served 17 years in prison in Ireland, largely for drug-related offences. He was also tried and acquitted of the 1996 murder of investigative journalist Veronica Guerin, whose reporting had exposed aspects of Ireland's criminal underworld.

 

 

Image: Archive