A police raid on a fuel depot for narco-boats in Vélez-Málaga turned violent when traffickers opened fire. Two suspects were arrested, and 5,000 litres of fuel were seized. No injuries were reported.
Police from the UDYCO Costa del Sol unit were conducting surveillance near a warehouse in Vélez-Málaga when they were ambushed by two vehicles. The occupants, five men, opened fire on the officers as they attempted to arrest one suspect at the entrance of the building, a known storage site for fuel and narco-boats.
The attack, which occurred during an ongoing operation against the supply chain of drug-trafficking vessels, forced the police to return fire. No injuries were reported on either side. The suspects then fled in their vehicles, colliding with each other and initiating a high-speed chase along the A-7 motorway toward Málaga. During the pursuit, one of the fleeing cars knocked a motorcyclist to the ground, who escaped unharmed.
Despite a massive search, the five men remain at large. However, police later arrested a woman, aged 51, as an alleged collaborator. A male suspect, 51, had been detained earlier at the scene. The investigation led to the seizure of 5,000 litres of gasoline stored in two tanks inside a van, along with numerous fuel containers and several narco-boats.
The incident echoes previous clashes in the region, where drug-trafficking organizations have increasingly used violence to protect their fuel supplies. In 2024, a similar shootout occurred in La Línea de la Concepción, highlighting the escalating risks for law enforcement.
Members of the Scientific Police are now conducting a technical inspection of the warehouse, collecting evidence and analyzing the scene. The investigation remains open, and authorities have not ruled out further arrests. Police are urging anyone with information about the fugitives to come forward.
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