Gardai and Guardia collaboration

AS part of the 175th anniversary of the Guardia Civil, two members of the Irish police force have been awarded ‘La Cruz de la Orden del Merito de la Guardia’, the Cross of Merit of Order of the Guardia Civil.

Detective Superintendent Seamus Boland of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and a liaison officer, who cannot be named for operational reasons, have been celebrated for their work fighting Irish crime gangs who were operating in Spain. This included providing assistance which led to the conviction of James Quinn, aged 35, at a court in Malaga, the getaway driver in the murder of Gary Hutch in 2015. Quinn was also convicted of possession of illegal weapons.

The ceremony took place at the Guardia Civil Headquarters in Mallorca and amongst those present were the Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síocháná, John O’Driscoll, who praised the ongoing collaboration between the two Police Forces relating to investigations associated with organised crime, with an Irish connexion.