Five remanded as weapons seized in kidnapping probe

Five suspects have been remanded in custody after police seized military-style weapons, cash and drugs in a Costa del Sol kidnapping probe linked to the disappearance of an Irish man.

The suspects were arrested in Estepona and Benahavís after a series of searches in Málaga province, according to police. Investigators believe the case may be tied to a settling of scores, and the missing man has still not been found.

This is the latest development in the same inquiry that CNS reported earlier, when four suspects were already held over the disappearance. Read the earlier report here.

Police said they carried out six searches and recovered three handguns, one fitted with a silencer, two military-style weapons including an AK-47 and a submachine gun, as well as 37.8 kilos of hashish, €61,520 in cash and eight vehicles. One of the cars had been reported stolen.

The inquiry began after a woman reported her 40-year-old partner missing on 11 June, a day after he went to meet a supposed friend at a café in San Pedro Alcántara, Marbella. Police later traced his movements to Estepona, where they say he was forced into a second vehicle before the trail led to a rural property.

What police say happened

Investigators also believe the man was warned a month earlier, when several of his vehicles were set on fire outside his home in a Marbella urbanisation. They say that incident was treated as a possible threat before his disappearance.

According to the police account, the suspects are linked to a known Irish criminal clan operating on the Costa del Sol. One of the men was also subject to a European arrest warrant issued by the authorities in Ireland for a violent robbery.

The National Police said the court has already ordered the suspects into provisional prison while the investigation continues.