Ron Howells
THE National Police have arrested seven members of two extremely violent Swedish criminal gangs in the towns of Malaga, Marbella, Fuengirola and Alicante. The gangs, based on the Costa del Sol, have been deadly rivals since 2013.
The fight between the two criminal organisations began as a result of the assassination in 2013 of the leader of one of the groups, which led to numerous bloody events, mainly in Sweden. Explosives were even used in some attacks to end the lives of rival members, putting the public in serious danger. The two gangs have since carried on with their vendetta’s in the province of Malaga. Officers from the organised crime squad in Spain learned of the existence of a group of these Swedish gang members after a firearm incident, that occurred in September, saw the arrest of several gang members after an incident in an establishment in Marbella.
On October 30, there was another altercation in a Marbella establishment, where five individuals with firearms attempted to kidnap a client. The attackers threatened the man, beat him and tried unsuccessfully to force him into a waiting van. The kidnap attempt failed, and he was able to get away. However, a day later, at 3 am in the morning, a new episode of violence occurred on the paseo in Fuengirola when two hooded men shot three occupants of a van and escaped. One of the occupants of the vehicle was seriously injured and was rushed to the hospital.
Officers from the organised crime unit managed to link the victims of the shooting with the attempted kidnapping a day before. The alleged perpetrators of the attack on the van in Fuengirola were the ones sent to settle accounts on the attempted kidnapping. The investigation now focused on identifying and locating both parties in the shortest possible time as officers were certain that more violent acts could occur due to the rivalry between the gangs.
This following police investigation culminated in the identification and arrest of seven people. Just three days after the event, two of them were arrested in the province of Alicante. In addition, several searches were carried out where the agents seized vehicles, mobile devices and 12,000 euros in cash. The judge in charge of the case ordered all those being investigated be taken to prison, for crimes of attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, being members of a criminal organisation, illegal possession of weapons and robbery with violence.
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