3 Dec, 2010 @ 09:00
1 min read

Sick as a parrot as ‘Sick Mick’ gets off

A BRITISH gang arrested in Spain on drug trafficking charges will be freed after 53,000 ecstasy pills turned out to be caffeine tablets.

The 12-strong group, from Liverpool, had been arrested in a much trumpeted joint campaign between the British and Spanish police in September.

The gang, led by Michael ‘Sick Mick’ Farrell, who is wanted for a shooting in the UK, had allegedly hidden the pills in false compartments in a car and planned to smuggle them by ferry from Denia to Ibiza.

Police now believe their intention was to con young holidaymakers, by giving them caffeine instead of designer drugs.

But as there is nothing illegal about caffeine, police are unable to charge the group.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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