SPANISH police have launched "Operation Marbella" to crackdown on violence and keep Brits safe after a spate of recent gang shootings.
Costa del Sol resort is meant to be a place where tourists can kick back and relax but it's fast becoming a hotspot for crime.
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Cops have warned locals and visitors they can expect to see more random stops and officer checkpoints in and around the holiday destination.
They are understood to be increasing vigilance in residential areas as well as shopping centres and nightspots, like the millionaire’s playground of Puerto Banus.
It comes after two terrifying shootings in March, within the space of a week.
The horror unfolded at one famous British-owned restaurant in the area, La Sala.
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No one was hurt at the chaotic scene but a young man was seriously injured just days prior in a shoot-out in Puerto Banus.
As police crackdown on crime they are recruiting the help of sniffer dogs and “aerial resources” - including helicopters and drones.
The start of the operation, which will continue through the summer season into October, comes after locals started branding areas like Puerto Banus the "Wild West" following four shooting incidents in just over a month.
A seedy world of prostitution, drugs and gangsters lies behind the port's designer shops and Ferraris lining the waterfront.
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Earlier this month, police revealed they had arrested a British national and an Irishman over organised crime links after La Sala was targeted on March 11.
Around 15 bullets were fired into the windows of the premises in broad daylight.
Gunmen open FIRE on Brit celeb & tourist hotspot La Sala in Marbella with shock pics showing bullet holes in windows
The likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Erling Harland, Jurgen Klopp and Harry Maguire have all visited the restaurant.
The venue’s shareholders include former Premier League star David Bentley, who was once branded the next David Beckham.
Today it was reported the victim of an April 2nd shooting in Nueva Andalucia, a residential estate a five-minute drive from Puerto Banus, had been British.
Police had not gone public with his nationality at the time.
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The 21-year-old was rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds to his knee and "pelvis area."
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police said this afternoon: “National Police are launching the so-called Marbella Plan which will involve an increase in the number of officers who will be on duty in the resort until the month of October, with the aim of combatting organised and common crime.
“The plan will mean a greater uniformed police presence on the town’s streets.
“Checks on vehicles and people will be increased, with random operations at different times and in different places, to increase the surprise factor.
Is this what’s it like? In the summer let’s put our swim shorts and sandals on as well as a bullet-proof vest
Antonio MayorLocal resident
“Police units will be deployed in places with agglomerations of people, especially in commercial and leisure areas, and there will also be operations in residential areas.”
They added: “The focus will be on providing a safe environment and improving public safety and the safety of residents and tourists.”
Disgusted locals have openly expressed their fear that the whole of Marbella could suffer the effects of the dark underside of Puerto Banus.
Marbella was voted the best European destination of 2024 last month by specialist website European Best Destinations.
Sales worker Lina Nouri raged after another shooting near the port when a man was hurt outside a shisha bar-restaurant, just days after the La Sala attack.
“Two shootings in five days. What reputation has Puerto Banus got now," fumed Lina.
A stray bullet could end up entering a house. I have two teenagers who go out and when they head to Puerto Banus I don’t sleep, because I’m so afraid
A worried local
Fellow resident Antonio Mayor added: “Is this what’s it like? In the summer let’s put our swim shorts and sandals on as well as a bullet-proof vest.”
Another homeowner said she is terrified a stray bullet could kill an innocent person if the problems persist.
She wrote on social media: “My god, that you go out for a quiet night out and this happens is incredible.
“A stray bullet could end up entering a house.” A worried mum said: “I have two teenagers who go out and when they head to Puerto Banus I don’t sleep, because I’m so afraid.”
Another concerned local said: “Years ago Puerto Banus was a wonderful paradise.
“Let’s see if the police increase and reinforce surveillance in Banus and stop sitting on roundabouts doing routine stops all day.
"They’d be much more effective.”
Referring to a previous shooting last July, when tourists were forced to run for cover after a gunman appeared from nowhere and fired towards a restaurant, she added: “After that incident, visitors disappeared."
RIVAL MAFIA WARS
On February 10, a man of Nordic origin was shot in the arm and leg in Nueva Andalucía, a residential area inland from Puerto Banus.
Witnesses said two men got out of a car late that day, one fired the shots and they fled in the same vehicle.
Three arrests have taken place and the incident has been linked to a war between rival Swedish mafias.
Meanwhile, in July 2022 a man was stabbed and four people shot at Opium Beach Club just east of Marbella town centre.
A 40-year-old Dutch national was arrested after the early-hours drama in front of hundreds of revellers.
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One of the most seriously-injured victims was a 32-year-old Irishman, who after hospital treatment, was arrested on suspicion of being involved in an altercation.
The argument broke out just moments before the shooting in a VIP area of the stage where South African DJ, Black Coffee, was playing to a packed crowd.
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