Gang death
A 49-year-old Moroccan businessman man
shot dead last month is thought to be the
latest victim of gang warfare on the coast.
The owner of five nightclubs in Marbella
died in San Pedro de Alcántara when at least
two hitmen fired over 20 rounds, 14 of
which hit him, as he drove his Bentley
home at 3.00am. More than 20 people died
last year in what police describe as “settling
of accounts” between rival gang members.
Nerja fire
Seven people, including two babies, were
treated for smoke inhalation last month
after fire broke out in an apartment
opposite Nerja’s local police headquarters.
The emergency services were quickly on
the scene of the blaze which began at about
8.30am in a ground floor flat. Fire crews
rescued two teenagers who took refuge on a
terrace on the outside of the building.
Drone drama
A 26-year-old American student studying in
Málaga was detained in the city on January
5 after a drone was seen hovering ten
metres above the city’s Three Kings
procession. Police officers who spotted the
300 gram device quickly found the person
controlling it by remote control and advised
him of the dangers it presented to the
crowds below. He has been reported to the
State Aviation Safety Agency
Caves theft
It was a bad start to 2019 for the Nerja’s
Caves. As the Three Kings were distributing
their gifts, thieves broke into the
administration offices and helped themselves
to two safes holding the previous two day’s
takings – an estimated €95,000. The
destroyed safety deposit boxes were later
found by a hill walker just 200 metres away.
Suspects detained
A 19-year-old Moroccan man and a 20-
year-old local woman were detained in
Málaga last month suspected of robbery
with violence. The women allegedly asked a
passer-by in the city centre for a cigarette,
while the man stole the victim’s mobile
phone. A witness who challenged the couple
was violently assaulted by them before
alerting local police officers who detained
the suspects.
Animals abandoned
Over 20 dogs have been rescued in
Comares by officers from the Guardia
Civil’s environmental branch, Seprona. The
animals, mostly cross-breeds and podencos
believed to belong to hunters, were said to
be in a poor nutritional state with some in
poor health and others suffering from
scabies. The dogs are being treated at the
Parque Zoosanitario and will later be
offered for adoption.
Thirteen named in
Nerja dump case
A Torrox court has ordered the
prosecution of 13 people alleged to
have links to an illegal rubbish dump at
Rio de la Miel which was allowed to
continue unregulated between 1998
and 2016. An estimated 800,000 cubic
metres of waste of all kinds was
allowed to accumulate at the site
without any controls or recycling
procedures in place.
The Court of First Instance and
Instruction No 1 of Torrox last month
issued a decree which ended the pre-
trial stage of the case, opened a
summary procedure and ordered the
prosecution against 13 individuals, the
Junta de Andalucía and Nerja Town
Hall as those allegedly liable.
Among the individuals named are
Nerja’s present mayor, Rosa Arabal of
the PSOE, as well as her predecessor and
mayor from 1995 to 2015, José Alberto
Armijo of the Partido Popular who is
now a Provincial Deputy. Previous
environment councillors Nieves Atencia
and José Miguel Jimena, both of the PP,
are included, along with the present
councillor for environmental affairs,
Jorge Bravo of Izquiera Unida. This list
is completed by Carmen Molero,
secretary of the Environment
Department, and representatives of
seven construction companies. Four
former Nerja PP councillors, a former
territorial delegate for the environment
and 20 other business leaders have had
charges against them dismissed.
Also dismissed were possible charges
against the suspects of forgery and
fraud. A period is now open for the
remaining defendants to submit their
written responses to the charges being
brought against them.
In its finding, the court asserts that
during the 16 years the dump was
open, “those responsible did nothing to
prevent it, despite it being on a
specially protected bird reserve and in
an area of special conservation.” The
site was finally closed in September
2016 by Seprona, the environmental
arm of the Guardia Civil, following
allegations made by the Association of
Waste Management Companies of
Andalucía regarding the danger posed
to underground aquifers.
Granada researchers warn
on toxic receipts
Researchers at Granada University say
that till receipts which fade after a time
are printed with ink which could cause
cancer. The thermal paper used to
produce the receipts contains bisphenol
A (BPA), often simply called bisphenol,
which has been under investigation by
some countries for ten years.
Professor Nicolás Olea said last month
that consumers should avoid storing
such receipts in purses, wallets or cars
after studies showed that BPA can lead
to hormone-dependent cancers. It has
been linked to infertility, autism,
ADHD, obesity, type two diabetes,
premature births and the early onset of
puberty.
An international team, led by
researchers in Granada, analysed 112
thermal paper receipts and tickets from
Brazil, Spain and France. Professor
14
Olea said the paper is easily
recognisable because it turns black if
held near a heat source. The group’s
findings showed that 90 per cent of the
receipts collected in Brazil and Spain
tested positive for BPA. However, this
was true for only half of the receipts
from France where the government
has taken action to reduce the use of
that chemical compound in thermal
paper since 2014.
Previous research shows that cashiers
and waiting staff who routinely handle
up to 30 such receipts an hour have
significantly higher levels of the
chemical in their blood and urine than
the average. The Granada researchers
suggested people should “reject” paper
receipts until public health measures
are taken, but noted that the Spanish
government has undertaken to remove
BPA from its receipts by 2020.