Benidorm becomes a new narco hotspot in Spain after drug-related crime surges in holiday resort loved by the Brits

BENIDORM had the highest percentage of drug trafficking arrests of any large Alicante province municipality during the first half of 2024.

The city was followed by Alicante and Torrevieja in the narco rankings compiled by the Interior Ministry- analysing towns and cities with over 20,000 residents.

Benidorm also recorded the highest percentage of home robberies, ahead of Torrevieja, which overall has the province’s highest per head crime rate.

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Alicante province municipalities clocked up more than 40 times the number of drug cases compared to similar sized towns in Spain.

That’s due to large-scale tourism and a significant non-Spanish population that attracts criminals who seek to do business at the expense of locals and foreigners.

Drug arrests overall rose by 2.4% in Alicante province compared to last year, but the Benidorm figures leapt up by 23.4% over the first six months of 2024.

Benidorm clocked in with an offending rate of 1.3 crimes per 1,000 residents.

Though Alicante had more narcotic-related crimes at 172 cases, its ratio was one offence per 1,000, with Torrevieja at 0.47 per 1,000.

On a positive note, the lowest percentage number of recorded crimes were clocked in by Villajoyosa, Alcoy, and Calpe.