Lorraine Williamson
Marbella began 2026 under the shadow of gunfire once again. Shots rang out on 3 January in the Las Albarizas district, prompting a fresh Policía Nacional investigation and renewed scrutiny of a neighbourhood long viewed as one of the town’s most troubled.
On Saturday late morning, neighbours in Las Albarizas reported hearing shots in the street. Authorities confirm no injuries have been reported so far, though police are actively piecing together witness accounts and forensic evidence to establish motive and identify suspects. The investigation comes at a time when gun-related incidents in Marbella are drawing heightened public concern.
This latest episode is not isolated. In early December 2025, another shooting near the same district saw three shots fired after a dispute outside a bar — again without injuries — and sparked political debate about the normalisation of gun violence in a city famed for its luxury resorts.
Las Albarizas: A neighbourhood under scrutiny
Just a few kilometres from Marbella’s marina, boutiques and yachts, Las Albarizas presents a starkly different reality. Long overshadowed by the glamour of the Costa del Sol, the district has repeatedly been spotlighted for social challenges and crime issues.
Police operations targeting drug distribution and organised criminal activity have focused on this neighbourhood in recent years. In March 2025, a major anti-narcotics operation saw around twenty police units conduct a sweep intended to disrupt drug selling and other illicit activity in the area.
On the same operation, authorities later confirmed the arrest of dozens of suspects and the recovery of multiple social-housing units that had been used as narcopisos — homes illegally occupied and turned into drug distribution hubs — a stark contrast to the luxury condos of Puerto Banús just minutes away.
Public broadcasting and national media crews have also reported from Las Albarizas, describing visible drug activity on the streets, confrontations and a sense of marginalisation that belies the city’s tourist postcard image.
Poverty, perception and police presence
The Junta’s ERACIS strategy lists Las Albarizas (Marbella) among the designated “zonas desfavorecidas” for targeted social inclusion work in Andalucía.
For residents, the picture is mixed. Some families feel forgotten by municipal services and caught between crackdowns on crime and the everyday struggle of life in a district neglected in comparison to Marbella’s affluent neighbourhoods. Protests earlier in 2025 saw locals call for fair treatment and basic services after a large police operation affected utilities like electricity, which compounded social grievances.
At the same time, the local council has sought to upgrade the area’s security infrastructure. In early 2025, 45 new surveillance cameras were installed in Las Albarizas as part of a citywide push to extend public safety measures into districts beyond the tourist core.
Crime in context: Marbella beyond the stereotypes
Marbella’s overall crime statistics remain a complex picture. National data still suggests many forms of violence are below Spanish national averages, and the city remains a major international destination with extensive policing and community safety programmes.
Yet recent reports and community testimony highlight persistent problems related to drug markets, property crime and pockets of violent dispute, particularly in areas like Las Albarizas. Residents and police alike acknowledge that these issues — while far from representative of Marbella as a whole — are real and deeply felt in specific neighbourhoods.
Investigation continues
As the investigation into the latest shooting in Las Albarizas continues, local leaders and law enforcement face mounting pressure to balance targeted crime reduction with long-term community development. For many residents, safety is inseparable from broader social investment — from housing stability to employment opportunities — that might shift the narrative of a neighbourhood too often defined by its problems.
The story of Las Albarizas is not just about crime; it is about how a city known for wealth and prestige wrestles with inequality and seeks to bring all its communities into the promise of a safer, more inclusive future.