Three Britons arrested in Marbella as police seize arms cache, drugs and silicone masks

Three British nationals, including two minors, have been arrested in Marbella after National Police officers seized an extensive arsenal of semi-automatic firearms, machetes, disguises and synthetic drugs during raids using battering rams.

Details of the suspects' nationalities emerged following an operation targeting synthetic drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol.

The investigation began in July when officers located a stolen vehicle in Marbella that had been taken in Portugal and fitted with cloned Swedish number plates. Inside the car, investigators discovered several firearms, large machetes, clown masks, realistic silicone face masks and other paraphernalia.

Investigators established that the vehicle was being used as a mobile hiding place to conceal items and subsequently identified the alleged perpetrators.

Following surveillance, officers executed search warrants at two properties in Marbella. The raids resulted in the arrest of the three British suspects and the seizure of five semi-automatic pistols, machetes, masks, a significant quantity of narcotics including ketamine, 2CB and MDMA, and cash in euros, pounds sterling and US dollars.

The adult suspect has been remanded in custody at a local prison, while the two teenagers have been transferred to a juvenile detention facility pending judicial proceedings.

The arrests come amid a surge in violent incidents across the region linked to rival drug gangs. On Tuesday night, a 47-year-old Turkish national was critically injured after being shot in the face inside a crowded restaurant at Malaga's Muelle Uno waterfront. A manhunt for two gunmen remains under way.

Marbella itself has experienced multiple firearm attacks in recent weeks. On 8 September, two Danish nationals and a Dutch national were arrested following a police pursuit along the Golden Mile after a 48-year-old Dutch man was shot in the leg near the Aparthotel Monarque Sultan. Earlier, in the early hours of 24 August, a 33-year-old Senegalese man was shot dead in the coastal town.