Three British teenagers arrested in Marbella with an arsenal of guns and lifelike masks allegedly had connections to Swedish criminal gangs, according to newly reported details.
Two of the suspects were aged 17, while the third – the brother of one of the younger boys – was just over 18, reports Spanish newspaper ABC.
Police announced the arrests on September 21 after an investigation uncovered five semiautomatic pistols, machetes, baseball bats, clown masks and silicone disguises resembling human faces.
Investigators reportedly suspected the group was preparing a violent attack or a raid to steal drugs from other criminals, known as a ‘vuelco’.
ABC reports that two of the suspects grew up on the Costa del Sol.
One of the boy’s father allegedly had a police record in the UK relating to organised crime before settling in the area with his family.
Despite their ages, the teenagers already had police records involving fights and assaults, the report claims.
The investigation began in July following an alert about a vehicle stolen in Portugal.
Officers tracked it to the Benabola car park in Puerto Banus, where it was fitted with cloned Swedish number plates.
Inside, they saw weapons and disguises packed into shopping and travel bags. Police then placed the vehicle under surveillance.
Investigators told ABC that the suspects wore latex gloves when handling the car and sometimes approached it with their heads covered.
Officers said they observed the group selling drugs and regularly visiting cannabis clubs.
Two house searches uncovered 827 grams of ketamine, 670 grams of a substance described by police as tusi, 52 grams of MDMA and 425 ecstasy tablets.
Police also seized €21,975, £410 and $100 in cash.
Sources quoted by ABC said they suspected Swedish criminals had supplied the weapons.
They believed the arsenal went beyond what the group would need to protect its drug supplies, raising fears of a planned settling of scores or a drug robbery.
The adult suspect was remanded in custody, while the two 17-year-olds were placed in a secure juvenile detention centre.
