ONE of the leading suspects in the murder of an innocent 20-year-old in Malaga last month was arrested a year earlier for his role in a separate planned killing on the Costa del Sol, it has been revealed.
The victim, named locally as Nacho, was sitting on a bench near his home on Calle Barcenillas on September 18 when three men linked to a Swedish narco gang approached and opened fire without warning.
He suffered gunshot wounds to his back and leg, with harrowing video footage of the incident showing the bloodied youngster crawling into a nearby Dia supermarket in Plaza Virgen del Rocio to seek help.
Initially, investigators believed the shooting was a ‘targeted killing’ related to a dispute between rival gangs.
But police now believe Nacho, who died from his wounds in hospital, was an innocent victim who was gunned down in a suspected case of mistaken identity.
Three men were arrested within 12 hours of the shooting after a major operation across Malaga province.
One suspect, a man of Somali origin, had already appeared before a judge over a separate conspiracy to murder charge after allegedly supplying three pistols to two teenage hitmen sent to the Costa del Sol.
He was arrested in July 2025 following a joint operation between the Policia Nacional and Sweden’s organised crime unit, IGOB.
Investigators had received intelligence that two young men, aged 17 and 19, had travelled from Gothenburg to Malaga the month before as contracted hitmen.
Officers tracked them down in Fuengirola and arrested the pair, discovering they were armed and, according to investigators, on their way to carry out a killing.
The Somali-origin suspect was arrested at an address in Marbella.
He was brought before a judge and faced allegations of conspiracy to murder and the illegal possession of weapons – but he was not remanded in custody and was released pending trial.
The 19-year-old suspect was jailed, while the 17-year-old was placed in a secure juvenile facility.
The killing of Nacho is the latest in a string of organised crime-related killings that have rocked the Costa del Sol in recent weeks.
According to investigators, three Swedish narcos from the Somali criminal milieu of Malmo had been hiding out in a tourist apartment in Malaga’s popular La Victoria neighbourhood.
They were reportedly living in constant fear of gang reprisals and became increasingly suspicious of Nacho, who was dressed in black and sitting on a beach near to their hideout.
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Investigators believe the trio mistook the 20-year-old for a hitman from a rival gang and decided to shoot him dead.
“I don’t know why they shot me – I haven’t done anything,” he reportedly told neighbours who came to his aid.
According to his family, Nacho dreamed of becoming a train mechanic and had previously worked in carpentry and road maintenance.
Friends described him as a peaceful, hard-working young man who had never been involved in gang activity.
Just days after his murder, a Turkish football ultra and drug kingpin nicknamed ‘The Gypsy’ survived being shot in the face while eating at an upmarket restaurant in Malaga.
Ümit Yalçin, 47, was having dinner with another man and two women in the Muelle Uno shopping centre last week when a man suddenly approached the table and opened fire.
According to Turkish media, Yalcin moved to Spain in 2024 to focus on organised crime.
Around 400kg of cocaine belonging to Yalcin’s gang was stolen last year, sparking a feud on the Costa del Sol with a rival Turkish group known as the Dalton gang.
A separate shooting in Marbella earlier in the month left a Dutchman injured and saw three people arrested.
The provincial government’s representative said the initial hypothesis was a dispute between drug-trafficking gangs.
The surge in violence has prompted police to step up their presence in the Malaga area.
Policia Nacional have launched additional checks at various points around the city as part of efforts to combat organised crime and other offences, although officials have declined to say how many extra police officers are being deployed.
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