TORREVIEJA, Spain — John Gilligan, the notorious 72-year-old crime boss who led the gang behind the 1996 murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, has been arrested once again in Spain. The arrest took place in the Torrevieja area just before Christmas as part of a drug operation.
Gilligan, a former drug kingpin, was detained following the seizure of drugs, believed to be cocaine, during a search. While it remains unclear when he will face court for the new allegations, the operation is not considered as significant as past raids targeting him and his associates, including one in 2020.
This marks the latest chapter in Gilligan’s criminal history. In 2013, he was released from an Irish prison after serving 17 years for drug dealing, only to be shot and wounded in a murder attempt shortly after. He later relocated to Spain.
In 2020, Gilligan was arrested in the Alicante region, where Spanish police discovered 8kg of cannabis, prescription pills, and a gun buried in a villa’s garden. A plea bargain resulted in a suspended sentence for him in 2023.
With his latest arrest, it appears Gilligan is again involved in lower-level drug dealing, despite his past convictions.
