Laurence Dollimore
DRUG trafficking offences in Malaga have increased by 7.6% in the first three quarters of this year, new figures have revealed.
The province saw 777 cases in the first nine months of 2019, up from 722 over the same period last year.
Mijas has seen the biggest spike in cases, with a 60% year-on-year increase, followed by Malaga city with 10%.
While the percentage has decreased in Estepona and Marbella, the figures do not include the four dead bodies found between the latter and Mijas in the last month.
Kidnappings seem to be on the rise too, with eight having occurred in the first three quarters of this year, compared to six last year.
Of these eight, two took place in Estepona.
Another occurred in Fuengirola, one in Mijas and two in Marbella.
Meanwhile, all other types of crime have increased by 4.5% over the same period, with the number of crimes committed increasing from 32,144 to 33,598.
At the national level, during the first nine months of the year, 1,646,856 criminal acts occurred.
It’s a 4% year-on-year increase.
Much of this is due to online scams as a result of the boom in online shopping, the Interior Ministry reported.
