Far-right party Vox has pounced on the recent shootings on the Costa del Sol to warn of a surge in ‘organised crime’.
Patricia Rueda, VOX Member of Parliament for Malaga, issued a stark warning about what she described as a growing climate of insecurity.
Speaking from Marbella on Friday, Rueda accused the central government and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska of failing to provide police forces with the necessary resources to tackle the scourge.
‘Today we are in Marbella to denounce the violence being imported by organised crime,’ Rueda said, claiming that ‘violent Arab and Maghrebi criminals, disguised under Nordic nationalities, are bringing with them street executions and daylight shootings to take control of drug trafficking.’
The MP highlighted two recent shootings in Marbella within the span of just two weeks.
One involved the execution of Swedish rapper, nicknamed Hamko, in broad daylight in Puerto Banus, on October 3.
She warned that such incidents ‘could easily have cost the life of any innocent bystander.’
According to Rueda, the Costa del Sol has become a hotspot for transnational crime not only because of its wealth and connectivity, but also due to what she called the inadequate resourcing of police forces.
‘They’ve chosen the Costa del Sol not just for its economic appeal, but because they know the Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil lack the means to confront them,’ she said.
‘That advantage is thanks to an incompetent Minister Marlaska, who has abandoned the officers and the residents.’
Rueda also criticised both the Socialist PSOE and the opposition Partido Popular for what she described as political inaction in the face of escalating criminal activity.
She warned that the implications go beyond public safety, with Marbella’s international reputation now at stake.
‘Each shooting, each organised crime murder, makes headlines in the British and German press,’ she said.
‘This is a serious threat to the safety of residents and visitors, and a serious threat to Marbella’s image – a city that has always been an international reference point.’
The MP backed calls from VOX’s local group in Marbella for a significant increase in police resources, including more personnel and equipment for national security forces.
Rueda called for an immediate reinforcement of police presence in the city and a stronger response from Madrid to the growing presence of criminal organisations along Spain’s southern coast.
VOX has repeatedly tied its security messaging to concerns over immigration and cross-border crime.
Rueda’s comments in Marbella align with a broader party narrative linking violence in tourist hubs to what it calls the ‘importation of insecurity’ via lax border and residency controls.
Read more Costa del Crime news at the Spanish Eye.
