Virgin Media aired a documentary that saw convicted drug dealer John Gilligan interviewed throughout.
It came after he was fined and given a suspended sentence by a Spanish judge after pleading guilty to smuggling cannabis and sleeping pills into Ireland and possessing a gun, reports RTE.
Eight people appeared in Torrevieja Criminal Court No. 2 this morning, including John Gilligan and his son Darren Gilligan.
The trial was supposed to last for three days.
Lawyers acting for John Gilligan have confirmed that a settlement has been reached with prosecutors.
Prosecutors initially sought six years in prison for John Gilligan for smuggling marijuana and powerful sleeping pills from Spain to Ireland in packages containing toys and flip-flops.
In a pre-trial complaint, they said they wanted 18 months in prison for what Spanish police described as a rare Colt Python-357 Magnum, reports RTE.
Gilligan received a 22-month suspended sentence as part of a plea bargain – nine months for the marijuana charge, nine months for illegal possession of a firearm and four months for exporting prescription-only drugs without a license.
Prosecutor Carmen Milan said Gilligan’s admission of possessing a gun after his arrest in 2020 was a “mitigating factor” for the sentence he received after a brief court hearing began.
He was the first of the eight defendants who appeared in court to take the stand and confirmed that he pleaded guilty to the three charges which are still pending, in exchange for a suspended prison sentence and fines totaling 14,000 euros.
Asked by the judge if he accepted the plea, he replied in English through an interpreter: “Yes, I agree. Yes I am guilty,” reports RTE.
The other defendants took the stand in turn and confirmed that they understood and accepted their proposed agreement.
Darren Gilligan was the only person to be taken into custody and later extradited after being arrested in Ireland earlier this year.
He is expected to be released from prison in Alicante tonight and return to Ireland.
John Gilligan left court without comment.
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