Footpath mapped
The Gran Senda de Málaga, a footpath
which starts in Nerja and will eventually
extend along the coastline of the province,
is already available to view on Google
Maps. The images continue inland as the
745 kilometre walking route forms a giant
triangle reaching to the north of
Antequera. Google cameras hiked around
the countryside and sailed in waters along
the coast to complete the task which began
in February last year.
Porn detention
A Málaga court has ordered 12 months
imprisonment for a man found guilty of
sharing child pornography in internet chat
rooms. Investigators also found a number
of images and videos at his home which
included paedophile content. The court
noted that the accused suffers from a mild
mental disability which “diminishes his
adaptive, cognitive and volitional
capacities.”
Drugs money
Three people from one family have been
handed prison sentences by a Málaga court
for laundering money generated by drug
sales. The gang leader, a re-offender, was
jailed for 39 months, his girlfriend for two
years and his parents for 19 months each.
The court decided they all knew of and
concealed the source of the funds which
were invested in goods and businesses.
Pipe repair
The regional government has paid almost
€170,000 for repairs to the water pipe
which ruptured in El Trapiche on February
4. A dozen homes were flooded with water
which caused damage estimated at
€100,000. Drinking water supplies to 14
municipalities in the Axarquía were at risk
for a time.
Family “hugging”
gang arrested
The Guardia Civil has broken up a
criminal organisation which used the
“warm embrace” technique to commit
theft. Fifteen people of Romanian
origin have been detained, plus arrest
orders for three more who have fled
Spain have been issued. All were
allegedly members of a gang believed
to have committed over 30 offences.
The police operation began in Nerja
and Torrox when a number of crime
reports were filed. Since then suspects
have been detained across the country,
including in Málaga, while goods
believed to have been stolen have been
seized along with other effects and
documentation.
Typically, the gang would identify a
target, particularly elderly foreign men
wearing expensive watches, and while a
woman then approached and
distracted him by hugging him like an
old friend, his valuables would be
stolen. The gang would then vanish in
a waiting high-speed vehicle. One such
incident in Nerja resulted in the victim
being wounded after he realised he was
being robbed and a struggle ensued.
Investigators discovered the gang was
made up of members of an extended
family from Madrid who moved
around the country in an effort to
avoid detection. They are said to have
owned around 100 cars which gang
members used to travel throughout
Spain.
When they resurfaced in Nerja again
last December, three very active gang
members were detained while
jewellery and watches from their illegal
activity was found hidden in their
vehicle. Further arrests have been
made in Getafe, Parla and Barcelona,
including the detention of individuals
found to be selling goods stolen by the
gang.
Málaga is a scooter
“pioneer”
As Málaga introduced regulations to
control the use of electric scooters, it
was announced that the city is second
only to Madrid in the use of the
devices for personal transportation.
Málaga presently has eight businesses
offering scooter rentals with an
estimated 2,000 of the vehicles now on
its streets, with more operators
expected to arrive soon.
Campus bus New municipal rules prohibit scooters
being parked on pavements and the
city has allocated 29 authorised parking
areas, although these can accommodate
only around a quarter of the devices
believed to be in use. In the middle of
April, the municipal tow truck and
local police began removing illegally
parked scooters, an offence which now
attracts a fine of €200.
A “metrobus” to link Málaga’s metro to the
Teatinos campus of the city’s University
was launched last month. It runs every 12
minutes during peak time from Andalucía
Tech, the metro station closest to the
campus. The pilot scheme will continue on
weekdays until at least July 31. While the main operators of the
electric scooter rental sector have
welcomed Málaga’s new regulations,
they have joined users in the city in
calling for more authorised parking
areas, none of which are presently in
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the historic central area of the city.
Some have cited Lisbon, where there
are 200 such sites, as an example to
follow.
However, the operators have also
praised Málaga as a “pioneer” amongst
large Spanish cities by not restricting
the use of scooters or banning
competition between providers.
Barcelona, for example, has not
approved any scooter hire businesses
to operate in the city, while Zaragosa,
which is around the same size as
Málaga, has restricted business to two
companies with a limited number of
units.
Breaking in
A man caught in the act of breaking
into commercial premises in Vélez-
Málaga has been charged with eight
such offences. His targets were slot
machines and tills which he forced
open and stole the cash. The suspect
has been identified as a 35-year-old
from Almayate who is thought to have
been working alone.