The family of one of the Dublin criminals missing in Spain for almost three weeks say they are convinced the disappearance is not a hoax and have urged the gardaí to continue pressing the Spanish police to investigate the incident.
Mr Christian Coates, the brother of Shane Coates, said his family are "terrified" media reports in recent days suggesting the disappearance was an elaborate hoax might lead to a relaxation in efforts to locate the men.
Shane Coates and Stephen Sugg, both members of the Blanchardstown "Westies" gang, have not been seen since they left their apartments together in Alicante, Spain, 19 days ago.
Mr Christian Coates told The Irish Times he is convinced the missing men would not have been bundled into a car and driven away by their abductors as Garda intelligence and media reports have suggested.
"The both of them are well able to handle themselves. Shane would know immediately what was happening, what the situation was. He would have had the attitude that I'll take my chances here and now".
Mr Coates said the men had been living in Alicante, where they rented apartments with their partners. On the afternoon of January 31st they told their partners they were going out for an hour. The men left in a car owned by Mr Coates, an English-registered silver Mercedes. They have not been heard from since and the car has not been located.
"They would never have told the girls what they were doing or where they were going. When 5 o'clock came, there was no sign of them. The girls had been ringing Shane and Stephen's mobiles. Shane had left his in the apartment. Stephen's kept ringing out but by about 12 midnight it just went dead.
"The girls didn't know what to do, whether to go to the police. They felt Stephen and Shane may have been arrested and given false names or something.
"That night the girls woke and found a man in their bedroom. He was wearing a hood so they didn't get a proper look at him. When they woke up he was standing over them so they just started to scream.
"The guy grabbed Stephen's girlfriend's handbag and ran out of the apartment and drove off in Stephen's car."
He said of his brother and Stephen Sugg: "I think they might have gone to meet somebody some place, that they might have been trapped. The type of people Shane knows, you'd never know what might happen. They are either in some police cell in Spain after being arrested and having given false names or else something serious has happened to them. We are convinced this is not a hoax."
Shane Coates is wanted for questioning by gardaí in connection with a shoot-out with gardaí in Cavan last year. Mr Christian Coates said he accepted why gardaí might believe the disappearance was a hoax.
"But we heard from Shane every week, he was always in touch. He would have contacted us. I have heard nothing. The two girls came home a few days ago. I was supposed to go out there with my wife to see Shane but I've cancelled that."
Mr Coates said his brother did not take his passport when he left his apartment.
