John Gilligan has been handed a suspended prison sentence on drug smuggling charges in Spain.

Lawyers for the 71-year-old confirmed a plea bargain had been struck with prosecutors.

Gilligan was one of nine men to this morning appear before Torrevieja Criminal Court accused of smuggling cannabis and powerful sleeping pills into Ireland.

He was also accused of being the owner of a gun found in the back garden of his Costa Blanca home.

Before the trial, he was warned he faced more than eight years in prison; however, his lawyers later reached a plea deal with prosecutors.

As a result, he was handed a 22-month suspended sentence and a €14,000 fine.

When asked by the judge if he accepted the deal, Gilligan replied through a translator 'Yes, I am guilty'.