The bound and gagged body of a man believed to be from Northern Ireland was found at Malaga airport in Spain this week. Detectives had been searching for Mr Michael John McGuinness (36) after his kidnap at gunpoint had been reported to police, Jane Walker writes.
They say Mr McGuinness was snatched from his luxury apartment in the town of Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol by two armed men while he was with a group of young women. He was bundled into his own car and driven away at high speed.
It is believed he had been living with a Brazilian woman in the Spanish village for some time.
Two days later Civil Guards investigated a Spanish-registered Range-Rover car following complaints of an unpleasant smell. They discovered Mr McGuinness's decomposing body, with the hands and feet tied together and with a gag in his mouth.
There was speculation that the killing could have been related to a feud between drugs-traffickers known to be working in the area.
Police later said that Mr McGuinness had been under investigation for possible involvement in cannabis resintrafficking.
The quick police response in the recovery of the body could have been associated with the heightened activity brought about by the alert for attacks by Basque separatists.
An RUC spokesman yesterday said no contact had been made by Spanish police or Interpol and the force had not been requested to carry out any follow-up inquiries in relation to the death.