Torremolinos launches major summer campaign against illegal street vendors

Torremolinos is stepping up efforts over the summer to prevent illegal street trading along its seafront promenades, an activity which becomes a greater problem during the high season due to the influx of tourists. So far this year, the Local Police have carried out a total of 60 operations, resulting in the confiscation of 14,280 items weighing approximately four tonnes. These goods will now be transferred to the waste treatment facility in Casares.

To tackle this activity, the Local Police of Torremolinos deploy an additional patrol at weekends and on public holidays to cover from the Paseo Marítimo in La Carihuela up to the border with Benalmádena, as well as another patrol in the Bajondillo area. There is also a mobile support unit patrolling more broadly; a plainclothes unit tracking vehicles used to transport and distribute the goods in order to locate and act upon their storage points; and 15 beach assistants operating from June to September between midday and 7pm, supporting various police units in beach and promenade areas.

Street vending is estimated to cause losses of around six billion euros annually in Spain. However, it is not merely an issue of unfair competition affecting legitimate traders - it also has links to serious crimes such as human trafficking, money laundering and the importation of counterfeit goods, among others.