A seven-year-old boy, shot dead by masked killers in Marbella, was the latest victim of organised crime in the Costa del Sol.

A seven-year-old boy, shot dead by masked killers in Marbella, was the latest victim of organised crime in the Costa del Sol.
Unwelcome visitors
A seven-year-old boy, shot dead by masked killers in Marbella, was the latest victim of organised crime in the Costa del Sol. Graham Keeley examines how criminal gangs are changing in one of Spain's most popular regions.


Marbella is one of the Costa del Sol's most upmarket resorts

Caught in the cross-fire, as three hooded gangsters peppered the hairdresser's with machine guns, he didn't stand a chance.

The seven-year-old boy and a 36-year-old Italian haridresser were killed. Three others, including the boy's aunt and another man - thought to be the real target - were also injured.

The gunmen at first pursued a car, firing at it as it sped through the streets, before stopping outside the hairdresser's.

Police found 50 bullet shells, apparently from a machine-gun, lying on the ground outside. They have yet to establish a motive.