SPAIN - Daniel, 46, & Liam Poole, 22, British tourists, Estepona, Malaga, 1 Apr 2019

[Skigh]

I think it is major crime unit because they are investigating a crime ; not an accident or just 2 missing adults.
The question is ,whether they think something criminal had happened to them or whether they have been involved in crime themselves.

 

[Elgana]

I don't know if this is related or not, but I came across this news article from 2003 about arrests related to a drug ring. Among them is a 30 year old Daniel Poole, which would make him 46 now (same as this one). It says he is from Shanklin on the Isle of Wight (not a million miles from Sussex in the big scheme of things). I have no proof of our Daniel Poole living in that area at the time but just thought it was odd. There have been many things I have read along the way about this case which make me think that it is drugs related in some way.

Again I'm just grasping at straws but I find lots of little things all the time pointing in the same direction, but as yet, no solid proof.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Eleven arrests in heroin ring inquiry

 

[moonriverfarm]

Didn't one of the daughters here say they rented then purchased the car? Or was that just a bad translation?

 

[Gardenista]

I'm new here... am I allowed to share a facebook screen shot?

No, but the post is on one of the men's FB pages or on a news FB page, you can post a link.

 

[dotr]

"Operation Pheasant" If alluding to birds, the point is to "flush" them out where they can be seen by the hunter.
Hunting Dog With Rooster Pheasant Flushing Out Of Grass Field Stock Photo - Getty Images

There is another type of O.P...
Wisbech: the end of the road for migrant workers
2014
"In the past nine months, the police and the council working together on what they’ve called Operation Pheasant have uncovered 19 cases involving allegations of human trafficking and 220 of illegal gangmaster activity. A gangmaster is the evocative word for a recruitment agency supplying workers to the agricultural and food sectors; gangmasters can be licensed and legitimate, but many operate illegally."

 

[lolafaith]

Looking on Google there seem to be a few Operation Pheasant's from the police, all of which seem to be to do with either drugs or human trafficking. Must be a common name!

 

[Elgana]

"Operation Pheasant" If alluding to birds, the point is to "flush" them out where they can be seen by the hunter.
Hunting Dog With Rooster Pheasant Flushing Out Of Grass Field Stock Photo - Getty Images

There is another type of O.P...
Wisbech: the end of the road for migrant workers
2014
"In the past nine months, the police and the council working together on what they’ve called Operation Pheasant have uncovered 19 cases involving allegations of human trafficking and 220 of illegal gangmaster activity. A gangmaster is the evocative word for a recruitment agency supplying workers to the agricultural and food sectors; gangmasters can be licensed and legitimate, but many operate illegally."

Yes, it seems it's quite a commonly used name. I think the first one seems much more likely than the second in this case.

 

[Skigh]

Well let's hope they are flushed out soon!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Unheard of for MCT to be involved in a misper case unless there is something bigger going on. That is all.

 

[Satchie]

When was that?

Since June 2017 it's Roam like at Home in the EU if you are from a member state. If not, it makes sense to buy a local simcard but you cannot buy these anonymously. And your even less anonymous if you pay for it with your bank card.

If they bought a sim card, their phones can be traced.

It might be they didn't realize that, or it was at least a measure of anonymity, better than using their regular phone numbers.

IMO they would be innocents abroad if they were trying to get involved with the drug trade in that area, which is apparently run with impunity by very rich, very sophisticated and successful organizations. On the other hand, distributors normally know better than to attract the attention that arises when two tourists disappear.

 

[Skigh]

Think they could have been involved for some time.
no way do I think they were innocents abroad.
think they may already have flown somewhere far away !!

 

[ZaZara]

It might be they didn't realize that, or it was at least a measure of anonymity, better than using their regular phone numbers.

IMO they would be innocents abroad if they were trying to get involved with the drug trade in that area, which is apparently run with impunity by very rich, very sophisticated and successful organizations. On the other hand, distributors normally know better than to attract the attention that arises when two tourists disappear.

You cannot buy anonymous simcards in Spain. You need an official identification. And next, they paid with Liam's (?) bank card.

If they wanted to become anonymous, it all sounds clumsy to says the least.

More like Operation Chicken Wings than Pheasant.

 

[lolafaith]

My theory is they went out there to do some kind of deal, who knows what, legal or not legal no idea, they had a lot of cash on them, something went wrong when a third party was involved and something bad happened to them. Sorry to say that, but I don't buy the theory of them running away or starting a new life, they wouldn't have left passports and it would have been planned.

However, looking at social media posts and comments from family, i get a feeling that they know they are ok somewhere, could be totally wrong, but some of the wording used just does not point to the blind panic and desperation i think someone would feel if their family member had genuinely disappeared without trace, without any clue or idea as to a reason.

Apologies if this offends any of the family reading here.

 

[Skigh]

Think if you have a large amount of cash and you know the right sort of friends getting a 'new' passport would not be a problem!

 

[Satchie]

Think they could have been involved for some time.
no way do I think they were innocents abroad.
think they may already have flown somewhere far away !!

Daniel has two other children, it's hard to imagine he and their older brother would choose to disappear and cause so much grief and hardship.

 

[Satchie]

You cannot buy anonymous simcards in Spain. You need an official identification. And next, they paid with Liam's (?) bank card.

If they wanted to become anonymous, it all sounds clumsy to says the least.

More like Operation Chicken Wings than Pheasant.

Yes, that's what I meant.

And maybe the Sim cards, if there ever were Sim cards (tho this is what the families apparently believe), were about hiding relatively innocent activity, like hooking up. It would ensure whatever happened in Spain would stay in Spain.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Daniel has two other children, it's hard to imagine he and their older brother would choose to disappear and cause so much grief and hardship.

I agree. I'll be surprised if their disappearance (for this long) is voluntary or intentional.

 

[ZaZara]

Yes, that's what I meant.

And maybe the Sim cards, if there ever were Sim cards (tho this is what the families apparently believe), were about hiding relatively innocent activity, like hooking up. It would ensure whatever happened in Spain would stay in Spain.

There are phones with double simcards, so you don't even have to replace the sim. But even with a single card phone, they still might have used their old simcard every now and then to contact the family, and they haven't done that.

It does not make sense buying a new sim card to hide an activity, and by doing so make your family report you missing and start an international manhunt. Whatever happened in Spain, won't stay in Spain for long that way.

 

[Skigh]

Who ever they needed to contact was not the family!

 

[Oto]

A one off comment here.

They would not skip the country leaving problems behind (unreturned hire car), the only possibility there is to lay a false trail. I don't think so.

All SIM cards are registered in Spain. Call logs are kept and accessible. Same goes for their devices, as well as access to accounts. Their movement can be traced to an area if their phones were on.

Filming in public is not legal in Spain. If they crossed any border it would be registered though.

They would have to go well out of the area to be on roads where they would not leave a trace if they went off road.

There is a lot of crime related tension in the region lately, some kidnaps (not for ransom), and more shootings. The Spanish police have been disrupting traffic, there are a lot of unpaid and very uptight dealers.

The Spanish police are generally good when they are serious about something, but otherwise not so much. Here I think you will have professionals at work. There is nothing to stop private investigation either.

Sorry that I cannot be more positive, obviously there is no conclusion of any kind in what I have written.