The gang that used military tactics and drones to attack the house of a rival clan in Estepona falls

Last January, eight people robbed a home in Estepona (Málaga, 74,493 inhabitants) with a precision similar to that of a good army: using military tactics and using a support drone. After meticulous prior planning, three of the members acted as guards while another five entered the property. Once inside, they tied up the occupants with zip ties, beat them, and threatened them with firearms. The police have arrested 11 men of Serbian nationality for the events, which are part of a possible settling of scores between clans in the Balkan country. The leader of the group was also a priority target for the police of the former Yugoslav republic and had an international arrest warrant in force after escaping from justice in 2021. Nine of those arrested are already in prison.

The assistance in a Malaga hospital to five Serbian citizens who had serious injuries aroused the attention of the National Police. The injured did not report the events that had caused their injuries and also showed little cooperation when asked by the officers, but the police investigation revealed that they had been victims of an assault. In the house, in fact, the agents found traces of blood in numerous corners and signs that the residents had been tied with zip ties, in addition to being beaten and injured with firearms. One of the pistols used, with the serial number erased like another weapon used, was found around the property.

The attack had all the elements of a military maneuver. It had extensive prior planning, the participation of eight people and the support of a drone to control the movements of the home’s residents. The assailants also had complex logistics, the financial support necessary to stay in different apartments in the days before breaking into the house, and infrastructure from provinces far from Malaga, such as Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante. When they were able to identify them, the Serbian authorities confirmed that they were part of a “dangerous armed criminal organization linked to drug trafficking,” according to the National Police in a statement this Sunday. Its leader, whose identity has not been revealed, was wanted in Serbia since 2021.

Police work revealed that the members of the organization were planning to return to Malaga to, presumably, commit another assault. And so, when several of its members moved, the agents launched a complex police operation to proceed to their arrest. Given the dangerousness of those investigated, agents from both the Special Operations Group and the Special Security Operational Group participated in the device. Thus, 11 people were arrested, most of them in Malaga but also in the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona. During the police searches, almost all of them were in Estepona, and they seized, in addition to the pistols with the serial number erased, more than 100 cartridges, a bag with utensils that the agents believe were going to be used in another attack, seven identity documents fakes, a drone and 16,000 euros in cash.

Those arrested are considered presumed responsible for the crimes of illegal detention, robbery with violence, illicit possession of weapons, injuries, falsification of documents, drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organization. In addition to the ringleader, another member had another international arrest warrant in force and a third had a prison order in Spain. After being brought to justice, nine of them have been remanded in provisional detention.

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