Young hitmen arrested as they were about to commit murder in Malaga

Two youths, one of them under 18, who had allegedly travelled from Sweden to Malaga to carry out a contract killing in exchange for money, have been arrested on the city's seafront promenade. They were caught just in time. After police discovered their plans, the young suspects were located in just 48 hours and detained as they were riding an electric scooter dressed in dark clothes, hoods, balaclavas and masks.

According to the National Police, the pair were linked to another criminal organisation allegedly involved in cocaine and marijuana trafficking, which was in charge of all the logistics (accommodation and weapons). In the two searches carried out in Fuengirola and Malaga - where another four people were arrested - three loaded firearms as well as 16 SIM cards, 15 mobile phones and numerous documents and electronic material were found.

The investigation began thanks to international collaboration with Europol and the Swedish police. The authorities alerted the Spanish police that two young people, one of them a minor, had arrived in Malaga on a flight from the city of Gothenburg on 29 June.

The officers began to make enquiries to locate them and found them when they were rising along the seafront promenade in Malaga. Subsequently, they carried out a search at the home in Fuengirola where they were staying, where they seized two small firearms with ammunition and their respective magazines, with the serial numbers erased. The adult was handed over to the judicial authorities, who ordered him to be placed in prison and, in the case of the adolescent, he was ordered to be placed in a juvenile detention centre.

Investigators discovered that the two youths were linked to a criminal organisation made up of Swedish nationals and allegedly involved in cocaine and marijuana trafficking, which had been under investigation by the National Police since April.

They used encrypted platforms and social media to offer financial remuneration in exchange for committing a murder. They would have been in charge of all the logistics such as providing housing, weapons and even the electric scooter to ensure the achievement of their objectives, according to the provincial police headquarters.

Once the house was located, a police operation was set up which culminated in the arrest of four members of this organisation, including the alleged leader. Another firearm, gloves, balaclavas, masks, a bicycle and an electric scooter, 15 mobile phones, 16 SIM cards, money, computer equipment and numerous documents and handwritten notes were seized. The arrested suspects were read their rights for the alleged offences of conspiracy to murder, illegal possession of weapons and membership of a criminal organisation.