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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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Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.
The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.
María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.
María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.
Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “
The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.
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Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.
Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.
The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.
Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.
H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.
The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.
The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.
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Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.
The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.
Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.
The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.
Fire extinguishers were recovered
Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.
The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.
The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.
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