Walter Finch
TWO shootings in the recent spate of narco violence plaguing Marbella have been solved, according to the Policia Nacional.
One of the incidents occurred in the early hours of 2 April in the once-peaceful Los Naranjos urbanisation in Nueva Andalucia.
A 21-year-old man was shot in the knee and pelvis after a struggle in which two individuals attempted to steal a bag from a third person thought to contain a drug stash.
Video of the grisly attack circulated on social media.
The attack led to the Marbella Organised Crime Unit to initiate ‘Operation Orange’.
The investigation, initially suspected to involve a drug heist gone wrong, saw three individuals – including the alleged shooter – arrested on 7 May.
One of the suspects was also wanted under a European Arrest Warrant issued by French authorities for involvement in organised crime.
Police seized a pistol with a silencer, two fake guns, nine kilograms of marijuana, three tracking devices, €21,000 in cash, and a balaclava during seven house searches across Malaga, Mijas, and Marbella.
A similar but seemingly unrelated shooting took place on 13 April in a commercial centre in Guadalmina. The gunshot victim had been meeting another individual when a violent dispute broke out.
The second man opened fire and shot his associate ten times, riddling his body with bullets.
The victim survived thanks to the quick intervention of an off-duty doctor who applied a tourniquet at the scene.
Two Albanian nationals were arrested in Seville on May 3 as part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation called ‘Operation Mezquita’.
The alleged shooter has a criminal history, including kidnapping and illegal possession of weapons. Another individual, accused of arranging the meeting where the shooting occurred, was also detained.
A third suspect, a Colombian national, was caught in Madrid on 8 May, suspected of aiding the shooters’ escape.
During this second operation, police conducted three house searches, seizing €12,000, several mobile phones, and documents relevant to the investigation.
The suspects, two of whom are now in provisional custody, face charges of attempted murder, membership of a criminal organisation, illegal possession of firearms, and forgery.
