San Pedro, near Estapona on the Costa del Sol sighting of suspected killer

Suspected killer of drug dealer Michael 'Roly' Cronin and an associate has not been traced by Spanish police -- and has now been missing for more than nine months.The man (36), from Dublin's north inner city, was last sighted in San Pedro, near Estapona on the Costa del Sol last February. The suspect has not been seen since and it is believed he may have been targeted by the gang behind Cronin's murder amid fears he was to be arrested by Spanish police. Gardai in Dublin are actively seeking the man and intend to press charges against him if found.At the inquest into Cronin's death this week, Detective Inspector Fran Sweeney told Dublin City Coroner's Court that the DPP had recommended that charges be brought against the suspect for the murders of Cronin (35) and his associate, James Moloney (26). Both men were shot dead as they sat in a car in Summerhill.The suspected gunman fled the country immediately afterwards. Gardai notified their Spanish counterparts about reports that the suspect was in the Estapona area, but the last confirmed sighting of him there was on February 4 last. There has been no trace of the man since then and gardai suspect he may have come to serious harm.The suspected hitman is known to gardai for involvement in petty and serious crime, over two decades. At this week's inquest, Det Inspector Sweeney said there would be a criminal trial in the case of both men's deaths and they were actively seeking a suspect. Dr Farrell adjourned the inquest, under Section 25.1 of the Coroner's Act 1962 until a date in April 2010. A joint inquest into the men's deaths was opened in February.'Roly' Cronin was a major drug trafficker in the inner city and on the north and west sides of the capital and had served a 13-year jail sentence after being caught in possession of heroin at his Buckingham Street house.Maloney, who also had an address in Poppintree, had no criminal convictions. Maloney was an associate of Cronin and had acted as his driver in the weeks prior to the murders,Cronin had made enemies in the years before he was shot, and a north Dublin gang is suspected of ordering his murder, in a dispute over drug dealing turf on the city's northside.