Lorraine Williamson
Known for its glitz and sunshine, Marbella is also living under the shadow of escalating gang violence. Behind the luxury villas and superyachts lies a darker reality — one fuelled by Sweden’s bloody drug wars, which have found fertile ground on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
Over the past few years, the area has become a magnet for international crime networks. The violence that once rocked Stockholm and Gothenburg is now spilling onto the streets of Nueva Andalucía, Estepona, and Mijas. The murder of 23-year-old Swedish rapper Hamza Karimi earlier this month was only the latest reminder that Marbella’s idyllic calm can shatter in seconds.
The Swedish Connection
Sweden’s gang problem began intensifying around 2012, when rival groups turned brutal turf wars into daily news headlines. What started as a battle for control over domestic drug routes has evolved into a sprawling transnational network — with Marbella emerging as a key base for laundering money, coordinating operations, and hiding out.
Spanish investigators say Swedish gangs view southern Spain as a strategic “safe zone,” where luxury lifestyles and lax oversight make it easier to blend in. But the violence they bring has shattered that illusion. “They kill in broad daylight now,” warned Marbella’s chief prosecutor Carlos Tejada Bañales. “They’ve lost all respect for life.”
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From communions to contract killings
The violence first spilled into public view in 2018, when Spanish businessman David Ávila, known as “Maradona,” was gunned down outside a church in San Pedro Alcántara — moments after his son’s communion. It was a chilling sign that gang reprisals were becoming increasingly audacious.
That same year, explosions in Benahavís and a spate of killings across Estepona and Mijas confirmed what police already feared: the Costa del Sol had become an operational hub for Sweden’s underworld. The 2020 arrest in Dubai of Amir Mekky, a high-profile suspect linked to the so-called “Los Suecos” network, exposed just how far-reaching these connections had become.
A new generation of killers
Perhaps most alarming for police is the rise of teenage hitmen. In recent years, Swedish gangs have started recruiting minors to carry out executions abroad. In one Marbella case, a 17-year-old from Gothenburg was sent to assassinate a rival linked to a biker gang.
Elsewhere, a Swedish family gang based in Alicante was dismantled. Authorities discovered they were running a murder-for-hire network via Telegram and Signal, led by their 14-year-old son. This summer, a 16-year-old and a 19-year-old Swede were detained in Marbella after being caught preparing for another hit. The involvement of children has horrified investigators and complicated efforts to dismantle the networks.
Spanish police strike back
Spain’s law enforcement agencies have responded with growing urgency. Since 2019, the Udyco organised crime division has operated a special unit dedicated to tackling Scandinavian-linked murders on the Costa del Sol. Working alongside Greco and Europol’s GRIMM project, Spanish police have arrested dozens of gang members, including 71 Swedes in 2021 alone.
Despite these breakthroughs, officials warn the threat is far from over. As long as Swedish gangs continue to export their turf wars abroad, the violence that once belonged to Stockholm’s suburbs will keep haunting the streets of Marbella.
A paradise under siege
For many residents and visitors, the violence feels like a grim contradiction to Marbella’s glamorous image. Behind the beachfront bars and five-star hotels, investigators are fighting a shadow war against networks that operate with ruthless precision.
The Costa del Sol’s sunshine may still draw millions. However, the growing number of shootings serves as a stark reminder: Marbella’s paradise now comes with a price.
Source: El País