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A SHOCKING shootout in Mijas at the weekend has laid bare a terrifying new reality on the Costa del Sol – one where drug gangs looking for quick profit are turning residential streets into battlegrounds.
The violent clash on Saturday afternoon, which saw a high-speed chase end in gunfire and an overturned vehicle, is just the latest symptom of a phenomenon police are calling the narcos’ ‘Plan B’.
Investigators warn organised crime groups that they are increasingly turning away from traditional routes of smuggling and instead resorting to vuelcos – the theft of drug shipments from rival gangs.
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The tactic provides immediate profits, but has broken down the old codes of criminal conduct. A spiral of retaliatory violent acts threatens to spill out into the public sphere.
Saturday’s incident in Mijas offered a glimpse of this ‘wild west’ volatility.
Five patrols of the Policia Local rushed to the scene following reports of a crash, only to find themselves in the middle of a ‘violent episode’ involving a gun threat and an attempted escape.
A man was hospitalised after being shot, and officers recovered a handgun as well as 75 kilograms of hash.
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The police unions have warned that the case is not unique, despite the fact that both suspects are now facing charges of attempted homicide.
Security forces describe a new breed of younger, more reckless criminal who wants ‘satisfaction and money immediately’.
This ‘get rich quick’ mentality has led to a surge in kidnappings, torture and ‘warnings’ – often in the form of shootings in the legs – as gangs fight to protect their stash.
Collateral damage is increasingly visible.
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A Mercedes that was speeding along the Malaga-Marbella road during a pursuit left one of its passengers with a gunshot wound to his leg.
Another recent case occurred in Benalmadena where a victim found bound and beaten at a stash-house after a rival group stole almost two tonnes of hash.
Police unions, including the Sindicato Reformista de Policias The SRP and the Asociacion Unificada de Guardias Civiles (AUGC) claim their members are being left ‘outgunned’ in this escalating war.
They warn that while criminals are arming themselves with ‘war-grade’ weapons, including Kalashnikovs sourced from international black markets, officers often arrive at crime scenes with little more than a pistol and a vest.
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The AUGC has highlighted a critical deficit in manpower, pointing to 450 unfilled vacancies in the Malaga province alone – a shortage of 17% of the workforce.
The report notes that the crime rate in the province and in Mijas has increased by more than 20% between 2019-2024.
Despite the government’s insistence that it is investing heavily in security, with Government Delegate Pedro Fernandez citing €166 million in funding for special anti-drug plans, officers on the ground feel vulnerable.
As one union representative put it, the current resources are ‘obsolete’ against a narco-insurgency that no longer respects any rules.
The Olive Press offers Costa Del Sol News.
