An alleged teenage hitman and his accomplice have been arrested for planning to carry out an assassination on the Costa del Sol.
A coordinated operation between Spanish police, Europol and Swedish authorities prevented the planned murder, leading to the arrest of six suspects linked to a violent Nordic criminal network.
Two of the detainees – one of them a minor – had flown in from Gothenburg on June 29, allegedly contracted over social media to carry out a killing.
They were intercepted within 48 hours, after officers spotted them near the seafront at midnight, riding a scooter and disguised with hoods, balaclavas and masks.
Searches at their safehouse in Fuengirola uncovered two handguns with their serial numbers erased, loaded magazines and concealment gear.
The adult suspect has been jailed while the minor was placed in a closed detention centre by order of the Juvenile Prosecutor’s Office.
The operation soon widened, with four more arrests in Malaga and Fuengirola, including the group’s alleged ringleader.
Police seized a third firearm, balaclavas, gloves, multiple scooters and bicycles, 15 phones, 16 SIM cards, computer equipment and handwritten notes.
Investigators say the group is tied to an organised crime gang of Swedish nationals already under surveillance since April for large-scale cocaine and marijuana trafficking.
The gang allegedly used encrypted apps and social media to offer cash rewards in exchange for contract killings, providing hitmen with accommodation, weapons and transport.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
