Armed robbery in Marbella as tobacconist is held at gunpoint over takings

Two of the alleged robbers approached him and threatened him with a firearm, while a third accomplice waited behind the wheel of a car to help them escape.

Several witnesses alerted the 112 Andalucía Emergency Coordination Centre, which notified the National Police. Officers subsequently launched an operation to locate the suspects.

The two attackers had their faces covered and allegedly used a firearm to intimidate the shopkeeper and take the money. It is not known whether the weapon was genuine or a replica.

The victim was not physically injured in the incident and did not require medical treatment at the scene.

According to witness accounts, all three suspects fled at speed in the car. No arrests had been reported at the time of publication.

The robbery comes shortly after a joint operation by the National Police and Guardia Civil dismantled a criminal network accused of carrying out seven armed robberies targeting people collecting takings from businesses run by Chinese entrepreneurs in industrial areas of Malaga, Seville and Murcia.

Nine people were arrested in that operation, with four placed in provisional custody. Investigators said the network had a sophisticated structure, with different members responsible for surveillance, fitting GPS trackers to victims' vehicles and carrying out the robberies.

The alleged offenders used vests resembling those worn by law enforcement officers or posed as cleaning and maintenance workers during the attacks. They also carried firearms to intimidate their victims.

The network allegedly stole more than 90,000 euros in total from commercial and industrial areas. Its first attacks took place at the Guadalhorce industrial estate in Malaga, where three robberies were carried out with what investigators described as extreme violence.

In one incident, a victim suffered severe burns after being dragged for dozens of metres by the robbers' vehicle when they resisted handing over the money.