14 arrested as alleged criminal group broken up

THE Guardia Civil have arrested a group of criminals allegedly responsible for the brutal murder of a 34-year-old American man in May in Mijas.

Altogether, the police force reported, 14 Cuban and Colombian people have been arrested during the operation and 13 of them have been put behind bars.

The operation, which started in May, was carried out in Malaga, Madrid, Toledo and Guadalajara province to disband a large criminal group that worked on an international level stealing drugs from drug-trafficking groups and employing extreme violence.

The Mijas death, the Guardia Civil explained, was one example of this violence.

After discovering the man’s body at a house in Mijas owned by the group, investigators discovered that he had arranged to meet two men hours before his death to sell them some drugs.

Yet he was unaware, the police reported, that they were members of this group and had been investigating him closely. After tricking him into going to the house where his body was found to carry out the transaction, the group members tied his hands behind his back and shot him three times.

The suspects face charges of murder, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, illegal weapon possession and belonging to a criminal group.

During the operation 32 kilos of cocaine (valued at about €1.1 million), seven vehicles worth €120,000, €508,000 in counterfeit notes and €10,000 in cash were confiscated along with three guns, one equipped with a silencer, tracking and surveillance equipment and fake National Police uniforms and badges.