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CRIME

French couple planning to ‘sacrifice’ son arrested in Spain

A French couple who intended to murder their five-year-old son were arrested in the Spanish port of Algeciras earlier this month.

Published: 30 December 2023 17:09 CET
French couple planning to 'sacrifice' son arrested in Spain
Spanish police arrested a French couple that had planned to sacrifice their son in the Sahara desert. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)

Spanish authorities on Saturday said they had arrested a French couple earlier in December for planning to “sacrifice” in
the Sahara their five-year-old son, who they believed to be “possessed”.

The couple was arrested on December 21 in the southern Spanish port of Algeciras, as the family was about to board a ferry to the Moroccan city of Tangiers.

The Guardia Civil police force said in a statement they had arrested a “couple of French origin” who “intended to murder their five-year-old son in the Sahara, believing him to be possessed”.

Both parents had “psychiatric problems” and were the subject of a European arrest warrant for the abduction of a minor, the Guardia Civil added.

The pair have been remanded in custody by a judge in Spain.

The child is in good health and has been sent to a reception centre for minors in Spain before being returned to France.

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CRIME

Spain seizes 11 tonnes of counterfeit football jerseys

Spanish police have seized over 11 tonnes of knock-off football team shirts in a crackdown on counterfeiting ahead of this weekend's Champions League final and the upcoming Euro 2024, they said Friday.

Published: 31 May 2024 12:49 CEST
Spain seizes 11 tonnes of counterfeit football jerseys

Officers found the jerseys of different Spanish football clubs and European national teams, along with counterfeit luxury watches, leather goods and electronic equipment, during searches of 15 heavy-duty trucks, police said in a statement.

“The counterfeits were destined for various organisations based in Spain, which intended to distribute them through street sales, social networks and websites,” the statement said.

Police said they seized over 46,000 counterfeit items — including over 36,500 jerseys — with a street value of more than €6 million ($6.5 million).

The operation, which is ongoing, began in April after Spain intercepted two tonnes of counterfeit football jerseys from China.

This led to the discovery that “a large shipment of counterfeit goods” was arriving in Spain “to be supplied to criminal organisations that intended to place counterfeit sports kits on the illicit market on the occasion of the Champions League final and Euro 2024.”

Real Madrid will seek to win Europe’s biggest club prize for a record 15th time when they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on Saturday at Wembley Stadium in London.

Germany will host the 2024 European Championship finals from June 14 to July 14.

Counterfeits are a global phenomenon, whether for fashion, toys, electronics, food or pharmaceuticals, estimated by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to represent 2.5 percent of world trade.

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