Irishman held in Spain over drug dealers' deaths is chief suspect

An Irishman being questioned in Spain last night in connection with the discovery of the remains of Dublin drug dealers Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg is the chief suspect in the double murder.

The man was arrested at his family home in the same area of southern Spain, close to Caltra, near Alicante, where Coates (31) and Sugg (27) were found buried under poured concrete in an industrial estate on Tuesday evening.

The man is in his mid-30s and is originally from Finglas in Dublin. Gardaí and the Spanish authorities believe he had been renting a warehouse in the Caltra industrial estate at the time Coates and Sugg disappeared in January 2004.

The Spanish authorities are working on the theory that the two men, former leaders of the Blanchardstown-based Westies gang, may have been lured to their deaths by the promise of a major drug deal.

The man in custody is a known drug dealer who has based himself on the Continent from where he has run a lucrative business sending shipments of drugs to Irish gangs in recent years.

He did not have a high profile in criminal circles when he left Ireland and is not believed to have a criminal record involving any serious offences.

The suspect has lived in the south of Spain for four or five years and most recently has been living there with his parents. They were at his house when armed Spanish police moved in at around 8am yesterday to arrest their son for questioning in connection with the abduction and murder of Coates and Sugg 2½ years ago.

It is believed the suspect killed the men after they entered into direct competition with the cartel led by him, following an initial brief period of co-operation. Security sources believe Coates and Sugg were shot dead shortly after they disappeared.

It is believed the killer dug up a section of concrete in a laneway close to a warehouse, dug a 6ft hole, dumped the bodies in it and poured fresh concrete over it.

The Spanish Guardia Civil found the bodies on Tuesday evening after they broke a section of concrete in the industrial estate that morning and excavated the spot. The identities of the men have still to be officially confirmed.

However, the location of the grave and identity of the chief suspect was learned by gardaí in Dublin through criminal contacts.

Sources said the fact the bodies were found in the location identified in the intelligence means it is "highly unlikely" the remains are those of anybody but the missing men.

Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy last night confirmed that the information that led to the breakthrough in the case was gathered in Dublin.

"We have gardaí in Spain at the moment who brought information to the Spanish authorities. They are investigating that. We know that an Irish citizen has been arrested in relation to the alleged crimes and the Spanish authorities will now deal with that as they sit fit."

While full postmortem results were not available last night, an initial examination of the bodies has indicated the men were shot. Items found in the grave, including clothing, have been sent for forensic analysis.