Alex Trelinski
IRISH gangster, Darren Gilligan- son of notorious drug trafficker John Gilligan, has told a Dublin court that he has consented to his surrender to Spain during an extradition hearing on Wednesday.
Gilligan, 47, is set to stand trial alongside his father and seven others in Torrevieja on a variety of charges including drug trafficking, and faces four years behind bars if convicted.
Gilligan confirmed to the Dublin court he understood by consenting to his return to Spain that he would be put on trial and could be convicted and imprisoned.
“When will I be going back?” Mr Gilligan asked Mr Justice Naidoo, who informed him he could not be returned for at least another 10 days and then must be returned at some point over the following 10 days.
The Gilligan gang are accused of smuggling cannabis into Ireland hidden among flip-flops as well as illegally exporting powerful sleeping pills in addition to a variety of firearms charges.
The initial trial in Torrevieja last October was suspended after Darren Gilligan skipped the country and returned to Ireland where he ended up doing shifts as an Amazon delivery driver.
A new trial date in April had to be postponed, with an international arrest warrant issued against him leading to a prompt detention.
Other defendants in Torrevieja, following a long and extensive investigation, include John Gilligan’s British girlfriend known only as Sharon and his playboy pal, ‘Fat’ Tony Armstrong.
John Gilligan was tried in Dublin in 1996 for the murder of journalist Veronica Guerin and acquitted.
A search of Gilligan’s Torrevieja area villa in October 2020 uncovered a revolver buried in the garden which was similar to the one used to kill Guerin but nothing further could be confirmed.
Brian Meehan, a member of Gilligan’s gang, was given a life sentence for the execution and is still behind bars.
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