Police thwart about ten gangland murders on Spain's Costa del Sol in past year

Specialised units of the Spanish National Police have reported that they averted approximately ten gang-related murders across the Costa del Sol during the past year, helping to keep the overall homicide rate down. The province recorded five fewer killings in the first half of 2026 than in the comparable period of the previous year, and police have solved every homicide in the area over the last three years. High-profile incidents include the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old named Nacho by three Swedish men in Barcenillas and the near-fatal shooting of a 47-year-old Turkish football ultras supporter at a restaurant in Muelle Uno.

Authorities link the latter to a feud between Turkish criminal groups sparked by the 2025 murder of Caner Koçer. In response, the “Costa del Sol Plan” was activated, deploying the Police Intervention Unit, Prevention and Response Unit, Canine Unit, Air Support Service and the Provincial Public Security Brigade for random checks and increased patrols. Police warn that the drug trade now involves large-scale thefts (“vuelcos”) and a surge of assault rifles and sub-machine guns entering the Schengen area, often used by young, sometimes minor, hitmen.