Murder of rapper in Marbella possibly linked to 'internal conflicts' between Swedish gangs

The execution in broad daylight in Marbella of Hamza Karimi, better known by his stage name Hamko, on 3 October, may be due to "internal conflicts" between Swedish gangs.

The National Police investigation, led by the force's drugs and organised crime unit (Udyco), is trying to clarify what role Karimi had been playing in this puzzle and, above all, what had made him the target of what looks like a settling of scores.

According to sources, Karimi had not been formally linked to any other specific settling of scores in Spain and Sweden. His only known involvement was in the crime that cost him his own life on Friday, 3 October. The incident happened on Avenida José Banús at around 2.30pm.

However, according to Swedish media reports, Karimi had been convicted of the attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy in 2020, although no further details about the context of the murder have been made public.

What is certain is that Swedish investigations have determined that Karimi was part of the "environment" of organised crime in his homeland, where several rival gangs based in Stockholm have been involved in numerous settling of scores in their fight for territory and control of drug-trafficking.

Some media reports have stated that Karimi, who had just arrived in Marbella for a holiday, had been "threatened". However, the threats did not concern him enough for him to ask for protection.

The incident also confirms a major concern of the Spanish security forces: the increase in Nordic organised crime on the Costa del Sol. Some of these gangs have moved part of their operations to Spain, especially to Marbella and Fuengirola, where they mix with drug-trafficking, arms dealing and money laundering networks.

Karimi was well-known in the gangsta-rap scene in Sweden, although he did not become as popular as his friend Einar, who suffered the same fate. Einar was shot dead in Sweden in October 2021. He was 19 years old.