Three British tourists have been arrested at a Costa del Sol resort following reports that a man was shot at a beach bar four times. A 31-year-old man from Lithuania survived the gunshot attack near the Sonora beach club in Estepona in July.
Arrests in La Zenia
The three British suspects were detained in the resort of La Zenia in Orihuela, 350 miles away on the Costa Blanca. Two have been remanded in custody after being arrested for several crimes including suspicion of attempted murder, membership of a criminal gang, drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession. The third Briton has been released on bail as enquiries continue.
False documentation, weapons and drugs were seized in the police operation, according to local reports. Several more arrests were believed to have been made near Estepona following the shooting.
Incident details and gangland links
Staff at Sonora Beach said the incident had not occurred directly on the premises and that the attackers had sped off in a car straight away. Police sources had linked the incident to a gangland-related feud before the arrests.
This week a man has been killed and three injured in three separate shootings in the past week in the province of Malaga. A 20-year-old man was shot dead on Friday of last week in a central square in the city of Malaga in a suspected case of mistaken identity. Three Swedish nationals of Somalian origin with links to organised crime have been arrested.
On Tuesday a Turkish football fan was shot in the face in a restaurant in a marina in the same city after being ambushed by two gunmen, but survived. The Spanish government has responded to criticism that not enough is being done to tackle organised crime by sending in police reinforcements.
Recent incidents in the region
Three were arrested following a shooting in Marbella on September 8 near a four-star hotel. The incident, along the resort’s famous Golden Mile and the Dutch victim being hospitalised, has also been linked to gangland crime. Three days earlier, authorities uncovered a torture chamber inside a villa in Estepona. Two men were rescued and seven suspected members of a Malaga-based Eastern European gang arrested.
