Armed drug traffickers opened fire on Spanish police after officers uncovered a secret underground cocaine bunker hidden in woodland in Marbella.
The dramatic raid happened in Las Chapas after the Policia Nacional received intelligence that a major drug shipment was due to arrive on the Malaga coast.
Officers set up a discreet surveillance operation and eventually tracked suspicious activity to the Ricmar forest area.
During the stake out, police spotted a high-powered car acting suspiciously as it headed towards the beach.
According to investigators, the vehicle appeared to be carrying out manoeuvres to check whether police were nearby.
Once the car moved away, officers moved into the wooded area.
There they discovered three men brutally beating another person, with two of them carrying submachine guns and wearing what appeared to be police-style vests.
Investigators believe they had stumbled across a ‘vuelco’ – a violent robbery of drugs between rival criminal gangs.
But when the suspects realised police were closing in, they didn’t surrender.
Instead, they fled on foot and opened fire at officers with submachine guns before being captured.
Four suspected members of the criminal network were eventually arrested.
After searching the area, officers discovered what police described as a large underground ‘narco-zulo’ – a hidden bunker dug into the ground to stash drugs.
Inside were 30 burlap-wrapped bales containing 1.056 tonnes of cocaine.
Police also found a surveillance camera monitoring the access path leading to the hiding place.
The operation uncovered a huge arsenal and equipment linked to organised crime.
Among the items seized were three luxury vehicles – two of them stolen – as well as military-grade weapons including an AK-47, an AR-15 assault rifle and an Uzi-type submachine gun.
Officers also confiscated three handguns, police-style gear, radio communication equipment and frequency jammers.
The suspects have been handed over to the courts and are being investigated for attempted homicide, illegal weapons possession, drug trafficking, membership of a criminal gang, vehicle theft and document forgery.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
