Three Britons Arrested in Orihuela Costa Over Estepona Shooting

Two suspects have been remanded in custody after a man survived a shooting near a beachfront car park in July.

National Police have arrested three British nationals in Orihuela Costa as part of an investigation into the shooting of a man in Estepona, Málaga, during the height of the summer tourist season.

The victim, reported to be a 31-year-old Lithuanian national, survived after being shot multiple times on 28 July. Reports issued shortly after the attack said he had suffered four gunshot wounds. Police are investigating whether the shooting was linked to a dispute involving drugs.

The attack happened at around 5.30pm in a public parking area near the Andalucía Beach residential complex and the Sonora Beach establishment. Several callers alerted the Andalucía 112 emergency service after hearing gunfire.

National Police, Local Police and paramedics attended the scene. Emergency workers treated the injured man before transferring him to Costa del Sol University Hospital in Marbella. Witnesses told investigators that those responsible had fled in a dark-coloured car, giving police an initial lead as they began tracing the vehicle and identifying its occupants.

The beachfront location and timing of the attack caused alarm in an area busy with residents and holidaymakers. The management of the nearby Sonora Beach establishment later said the shots had been fired in the parking area, away from its premises. Staff helped the wounded man until paramedics arrived, it said.

Investigators followed leads from the Costa del Sol to Orihuela Costa. Officers working on the case, supported by police in Alicante province, searched several homes in the La Zenia area and arrested three British suspects.

According to sources close to the investigation, the searches uncovered suspected false documents, weapons and a small quantity of drugs. Police will examine the seized material to establish whether it is connected to the Estepona attack. That includes determining whether any of the weapons recovered could have been used in the shooting.

The three suspects were taken into custody and subsequently appeared before the duty judge in Orihuela. Two were remanded in custody, while the third was released on bail pending further investigation.

The allegations being investigated include attempted murder, membership of a criminal organisation, drug trafficking, document forgery, theft, vehicle theft and illegal possession of firearms. Authorities have not publicly specified which allegations relate to each of the three suspects or the precise role police believe each person played.

Two of the detainees were represented in court by lawyer Roberto Sánchez Martínez. One of those two was the suspect released on bail.

Police have reportedly made further arrests on the Costa del Sol, although details of those cases have not been released. Investigators are continuing to reconstruct the events before and after the shooting, including the suspects’ movements and the route taken by those who fled the scene.

A central question is the motive. Investigators are examining a possible drug-related settling of scores, but the circumstances of the attack and the degree of involvement of each suspect have yet to be established. The discovery of drugs, documents and weapons during the La Zenia searches does not, by itself, establish how any of those items relate to the shooting.

The investigation remains open and is subject to a secrecy order, limiting the information authorities can disclose while inquiries continue. Police have not ruled out identifying or arresting others who may have been involved.

For the Estepona victim, the attack ended in survival despite his injuries. For investigators, the work now is to determine who carried out the shooting, who helped them escape and why the violence occurred in a public place beside the beach.

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