Infamous Spanish drugs baron dead at 89

Spain's best-known - and perhaps oldest - drugs baron is dead, the national press reported on Sunday.

Manuel Charlin died at the age of 89 in his home town of Vilanova de Arousa in Galicia in the north-west of the country, the newspapers El Pais and El Mundo reported, citing family sources and the authorities.

Charlin apparently died on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest following a visit to a pub.

Manuel Charlin had been head of the 'Los Charlines' clan for decades.

According to the Spanish authorities, the gang controls one of the largest drug trafficking rings in Europe from Galicia and supplies numerous countries on the continent with drugs from South America.

20 years in prison

Charlin spent a total of about 20 years of his life behind bars. He was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering, among other crimes.

He was also suspected of multiple murders, but these accusations could never be proven.

He ended his last prison stint in 2010. Many of his alleged fellow drug traffickers - including four children and two granddaughters - are currently the subject of further investigations.