News
Road death
A 44-year-old man died early last month
when his car was in a head-on collision
with another vehicle on the A-7207,
between the A-7 and Torrox Costa. One
the cars is reported to have invaded the
opposite lane for unknown reasons, and
then impacted violently with another
travelling in the opposite direction. The
other driver, a 24-year-old man who
remained trapped in the wreckage, was
reported injured and taken to the
Axarquñia Hospital in Vélez-Málaga.
Drugs raids
A former Málaga CF player was amongst
30 people detained in the provinces of
Málaga, Sevilla and Granada in a major
anti-drugs operation last month. Sergio
Contreras, nicknamed Koke, and his
brother face charges of public health
offences, illegal possession of weapons
and membership of a criminal
organisation. Around 150 officers staged
raids in five municipalities, seizing
around a ton of drugs, plus weapons and
cash.
“Cal” beater
A new plant now operating in Vélez-
Málaga aims to reduce the amount of
limescale produced by the town’s water
supply. Municipal sources say the build-
up of calcium carbonate should fall
within six to seven months. The
investment on upgrading and the
products being used totals around
€150,000 and is being met by water
supplier Aqualia.
Suspect threatened
The suspect accused of killing Dana
Leonte, who disappeared from Arenas in
June, says he has received death threats
from other inmates at Granada’s
Albolote prison. Sergio Ruiz, who denies
murdering his girlfriend, says he met a
“hostile environment” when he was
transferred from Alhaurin de la Torre
prison in October. The victim’s remains
were found around Arenas where the
couple lived following which Ruiz was
ordered to be held in custody in late
September.
Driver injured
A 62-year-old man working for the
provincial waste collection service
received multiple injuries after his
pickup fell off a bridge on the A-356 in
La Viñuela. The accident took place in
heavy rain on November 22 and no
other vehicle is thought to have been
involved. Fire crews took more than an
hour to free the driver who is reported
to have been conscious throughout.
Tension at Málaga’s
airport
Málaga’s airport was the scene of
tension in the middle of November
when security protocols were activated
as a hi-jacked aircraft bound for north
Africa approached. Two F18s of the
Spanish Air Force escorted the
passenger plane as it came in to land.
Luckily, the whole incident was an
exercise to test the coordination of all
units involved with a view to
improving the response to a genuine
emergency. The mock hijacking was
arranged at a time which would cause
least impact on the airport’s normal
operations.
The aircraft of Alba Star, a charter
airline based at Palma de Mallorca, was
supposedly stopping at Málaga en
route to Africa. After take-off, the
captain alerted the control tower to the
hijacking and security protocols were
activated, including meetings of
committees established to intervene in
such an incident.
Measures were in place to free the crew
and passengers and regain control of
the aircraft. Negotiations continued
with the kidnappers for several hours,
until everyone was released safely,
following which the exercise was
completed and later assessed.
Illegal dump charges
to proceed
A court in Málaga last month
confirmed a ruling by a First Instance
Court in Torrox to open proceedings
related to an illegal rubbish dump in
Nerja. The 13 people named include
Nerja’s present mayor, José Alberto
Armijo of the Partido Popular and his
predecessor, Rosa Arrabal of the PSOE.
The site of the dump is a former
quarry in the area between Maro and
the border with Granada province
known as Rio de la Miel. It lies within
the Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama
Natural Park and is owned by Salsa-
Larios S.A.
Before it was closed in the autumn of
2017, the dump became home to many
tons of waste, prompting continued
complaints from environmental
groups and the public. During over 15
years of uncontrolled use, construction
and demolition debris including
hazardous waste, plus garden cuttings
and plastic were dumped there.
The Provincial Court has now rejected
the appeals lodged by those being
investigated, pointing out that a
number of them are lawyers by
profession and were “well aware” of
18
environmental protection regulations.
Possible offences being investigated
include crimes against the
environment, forgery, fraud and
membership of a criminal group, plus
negligent environmental and
administrative deception.
Child abuser
A 62-year-old man was arrested in
Málaga last month accused of abusing
seven girls aged between 13 and 15
years. He allegedly showered them
with gifts to convince them to go with
him to a house where they were given
alcohol and drugs. The suspect was
finally detained in Antequera where he
was found to have kept clothing worn
by some of his victims.
Fire threat
Two homes in Vélez-Málaga were
evacuated as a precaution by fire-crews
last month after nearby vegetation
caught fire. No-one was injured and
the occupants were able to return to
their homes in calle Pueblo en Los
Toscanos after a couple of hours. Next
day, police asked investigators to
pinpoint the outbreak of the blaze,
believed to be near a stables.