Two Gardaí have been honoured by Spanish Police for their work tackling international organised crime.
Detective Superintendent Seamus Boland and a Garda Liaison Officer, who cannot be named for security reasons, were awarded 'la Cruz de la Orden del Mérito de la Guardia Civil' (the Merit Order Cross of the Guardia Civil) at a special ceremony in Mallorca.
The awards were handed out as part of celebrations marking the 175th Anniversary of the formation of Spain’s Guardia Civil military police force.
The awards reflect the positive outcome of the ongoing collaboration between Gardaí and Spanish police aimed at cracking down on Irish gangland criminals based in Spain.
The cross border operation led to the conviction of 35-year-old James Quinn at a court in Malaga in relation to the murder of Gary Hutch.
Quinn was convicted of acting as a lookout and getaway driver during the killing in September 2015.
Gardaí said the Garda National Drugs & Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) has been involved in the seizure of almost 100 weapons since it was established in 2015.
Investigations undertaken by Garda Special Crime Operations (SCO) through the GNDOCB have resulted in the seizure of almost €8.5m in cash and drugs worth around €155m.
