News
Why do drug traffickers use Benidorm as their destination?

Despite its benefits and drawbacks, tourism is the lifeblood of Benidorm. The metropolis of towers is brought down to earth by the crime statistics, which contrast with the thriving visitor and occupancy numbers year after year.
In addition to being a popular vacation spot and second home for many of foreigners, Benidorm has become a hub for prostitution, bachelor parties, intoxicated tourism, and partying. Drugs are an integral part of the city’s nightlife.
With 3.4% fewer crimes in 2024 than in 2023, the city’s crime statistics improved. With a 6.2% increase, drug trafficking is still the country’s worst unresolved problem, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
One drug trafficking crime occurs for every 437 residents in Benidorm, the municipality most impacted by the province as a whole. This is a concerning statistic that is significantly higher than the territory’s average.
The city has turned into a haven for drug traffickers, who always find a market for their narcotics in strategic locations where neon lights are a common sight for shoppers.
The municipality with the highest frequency of this offence relative to its population is Benidorm, which leads the pack with 2.29 instances per 1,000 residents.
Because drug traffickers constantly find a market for their narcotics at strategic spots where neon lights are a familiar sight for shoppers, the city has become a haven for them.
With 2.29 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, Benidorm is the municipality with the highest prevalence of this infraction in relation to its population.
In order to recruit new customers and set up meetings with buyers at the locations where the drug and money transactions occurred, the criminal organisation exploited its positive relationships with staff members of hospitality facilities.
The user turns to the drugs if they don’t end up on the streets. Authorities battling the distribution of illicit narcotics also face difficulties because of drug dens.
The police actions to remove these drug stores tucked up among lodgings for tourists serve as evidence of this. In one of the most recent operations, two drug apartments where cocaine was being trafficked were shut down in September 2024. The three individuals involved were arrested, and nearly two and a half kilogrammes of drugs and 21,000 euros were seized, even though they attempted to dispose of 10,000 euros and some of the drug by throwing it off the balcony.
Its enormous floating population is essential to understanding drug trafficking since it skews various statistics about its 75,000 registered citizens.
According to the town’s analysis of tourist flows, which focusses on 2023, the average monthly number of visitors to Benidorm is over 252,000, and in August, that number climbs to over 2.1 million, which is twice the yearly average.
“We can also know that on the busiest day of the summer, which in 2023 was August 12th, the city could reach a peak of just over 365,000 people, including residents and floating population,” the report states.
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Alicante to Seville daily with new Ryanair schedule

During the summer of 2025, Ryanair will run daily flights between Alicante and Seville.
The company plans to connect the two cities on a daily basis from today, March 27th, until October 25th. This year, the connection is strengthened with a flight every weekday, in contrast to the 2024 summer season when the route ran six days a week (with double frequency on Sundays and no flights on Wednesdays). Additionally, Ryanair plans to launch eight weekly flights in April 2025, with the addition of a second daily frequency on Saturdays.
Reaching 125,581 passengers in 2024, the link with Seville, the capital of Andalusia and Spain’s fourth most populous city, saw stratospheric growth. Compared to 2023, when the route carried 58,361 people between the two cities, this number marked a 115% increase.
A potential increase of frequency on the Alicante-Elche and Seville route has not been ruled out, and Ryanair will soon release its 2025–2026 winter schedule. Given the ongoing increase in demand on this route, the Irish airline may be planning to improve connection, as it ran five weekly flights during the previous winter season.
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Benidorm could start fining illegal tourist properties by Easter

Since the formal transfer of authority is anticipated to take place next week, Benidorm may start immediately fining unlawful tourist accommodations as early as Easter. Marián Cano, the Regional Minister of Innovation, Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, made this announcement as an indication of the advancements made in working with local councils to keep an eye on the tourism industry’s underground economy. The city councils of Alicante, Castellón, Elche, Torrevieja, and Benicarló are among the other municipalities that have stated their intention to take on this responsibility. This progress has already been formalised in Valencia, where the transfer of powers has been completed and all the procedures are prepared for approval next week in Benidorm.
In her response to a parliamentary question, the Nuciera councillor discussed the issue in Les Corts and stressed that the new tourism inspection plan “is not a continuation of the previous one, but rather an improvement that introduces more effective measures, strengthens institutional collaboration, and better responds to the needs of the sector.” She stressed cooperation with local governments in this regard in order to provide “more effective inspections and a swift response to irregularities.”
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The application date for Torrevieja’s subsidised home construction extended

The deadline for interested construction companies to submit applications for the building of the municipality’s planned public housing was extended last week by the Torrevieja City Council during its governing meeting. Only the projects scheduled for the La Hoya development have had their deadlines extended.
Annexe I of the specifications controlling the bidding procedure for the construction of these residences was amended in order to extend the originally specified period. This is because the City Council’s technical services discovered that the La Hoya partial design calls for five levels in total—four higher floors and a ground floor—for the City Council-owned public housing plots. This maximum height is only considered for this kind of building because it is different from the other partial plan restrictions.
Yesterday was supposed to be the last day for commercial enterprises to submit their proposals. The local governing board has therefore chosen to extend the bid deadline by one month in light of this specific event “so that all bidders can adapt to the height distribution proposed by Torrevieja City Council.”
37,269 m² and 4 plots
The City Council has allotted three parcels of land at this location in La Hoya, where the extension was approved, in accordance with the Vive Plan agreement with the Valencian Government. Nine,745 square meters make up one of these parcels. The goal is to construct 152 public housing units.
The second plot, which is a little smaller in size (9,086), is intended for 162 dwellings. With 14,830 square meters, the third and largest is scheduled for 270.
These are in addition to the 29 residences at La Manguilla, which is a short distance from La Mata beach and is offered by the Torrevieja City Council. On a 3,608-square-metre property, these approximately 30 residences are proposed. 613 residences are planned for Torrevieja in total. These residences will be offered for sale, lease, or rent-to-own.
The base tender budget is more than €12 million. Interested corporations may bid on one, several, or all four plots, even though the process was split into four lots.
This public housing promotion plan will be implemented over a five-year period.
According to the agreement, the City Council will receive 15% of the total housing constructed—roughly 90 homes—in return for the land gift. These homes might be included in the stock of public housing in the city. The City Council intends to distribute them to younger people.
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