Costa Blanca
27 members of the Mara Salvatrucha gang arrested in Madrid, Barcelona, Tarragona, and Guardamar

In Guardamar del Segura, Madrid, Barcelona, and Tarragona, the National Police have apprehended 27 putative members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) gang. The Salvadoran criminal organisation intends to broaden its influence in Spain through violent means. The individuals apprehended were members of numerous cliques or factions that were organised under the leadership of the “Adams Clique” and were supervised by the Americas. The U.S. has classified this Latin American gang as a terrorist organisation. Drug trafficking sustained the gang, and the police have linked some of the arrested individuals to attempted and completed homicides.
The province of Alicante has apprehended a single individual, while Madrid, Barcelona, and Tarragona have each seen 18 arrests. The police have accused them of homicide, bodily harm, robbery with violence, and offences against public health, as well as belonging to a criminal organisation.
This is the Mara Salvatrucha gang’s second significant setback in Spain. The 37 defendants from the Mara Salvatrucha gang, which was based in Ibi, Girona, Madrid, and Barcelona, were sentenced to a total of 89 years and six months in prison by the Alicante Court in 2018.
The investigation commenced with the detection of individuals associated with the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang in Spain by agents from the National Police’s General Information Commissariat, which was made possible by international collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
In collaboration with the National Civil Police of El Salvador and the aforementioned US law enforcement agencies, the police were able to identify all members of this organisation, which is predominantly located in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

Drug Financing Investigators have determined that this criminal organisation maintained a hierarchical structure with clearly defined roles. The primary source of funding for this MS13 “program” that was dismantled by the police was narcotic trafficking, and its objective was to acquire firearms. Previous investigations have implicated its members in attempted assassinations and completed homicides.
The exploitation phase commenced on March 27, following the identification of the members of this group. Consequently, authorities apprehended 27 individuals and searched six residences.
The General Intelligence Commission, the Provincial Intelligence Brigades of Barcelona, Alicante, Tarragona, and Madrid, the FBI, representatives of the National Civil Police of El Salvador, and the Barcelona Urban Guard were all involved in the operation, which was overseen by the Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organised Crime and led by Madrid’s Investigative Court No. 3.
During the searches, the officers confiscated symbols, knives, simulated firearms, narcotics, items for sale, and mobile phones.
They convened a court to hear the detainees. Seven of them were incarcerated, while two others were still in custody. They were arrested in distinct penitentiaries and held in pretrial detention for actions related to the organisation’s activities. The Torrevieja duty court heard the case of the individual apprehended in Guardamar, who did not reside in the municipality.
The U.S. State Department declared Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) a foreign terrorist organisation in February of last year, taking the same course of action as El Salvador in August 2015.
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Costa Blanca
Two helicopter rescues in a single morning of two injured climbers in the Muela and Orihuela mountain ranges

On the first day of May, firefighters rescued a man who was ascending the Black Wall on the Piti Route in the Sierra de la Muela in Orihuela.
The officers responded to the call at 10:17 a.m. on Thursday and provided assistance to a man who had been struck, resulting in facial injuries and leg discomfort that impeded his ability to continue his ascent.
The Provincial Consortium dispatched a rescue helicopter, which landed to enable the rescuers to administer treatment. A crane was employed to lift the injured man to the ground and convey him to the Vega Baja Hospital helipad after the helicopter was re-entered the air. At 2:11 p.m., the operation concluded four hours later.
In the meantime, at 1:11 p.m., another request was received to rescue a woman in the Pared de Ana climbing area, which is located near the Bonanza pine forest in the Sierra de Orihuela. The woman sustained injuries such as a pneumothorax, a fractured scapula, ribs, tibia, and fibula after being left hanging approximately 150 metres high as a result of rockfalls. She also struck the wall. At 3:47 p.m., she was also evacuated to the helipad of the regional hospital.
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Otters spotted in Guardamar del Segura

The province of Alicante has observed otters. This population is one of the most recent discoveries in the southern region of the province, where numerous specimens of this European mammal have been identified in the Segura River areas. The populations are situated between Bajo Vinalopó and Vega Baja.
The Keuper Environmental Association and the Association for Rural Development of Camp d’Elx-ADR have identified the presence of these mammals in the municipality of Guardamar del Segura. As part of the ‘Lutra Lutra’ Project, which concentrates on the study of otters, they have installed camera devices.
The discovery of numerous specimens has been made possible by the cameras deployed in the Segura River as it passes through Guardamar and in the network of ditches and canals that lead up to the El Hondo Natural Park in Elche-Crevillent. According to the Keuper association, these otters have been observed at the weir and ancient flour mill of Sant Antonio, which are situated in the old river branch and are only one kilometre from the sea.
The environmental association elucidates that this mammal has successfully recolonised the Segura River and the system of ditches, canals, and reservoirs in El Hondo Natural Park. The drainage and rehabilitation work in the area has facilitated the discovery of these specimens.
The initiative is currently in the process of advancing to the next phase, during which members and volunteers conduct transects to identify potential tracks and droppings. The Agrochemistry Department of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche will collect and analyse them to ascertain the impact and abundance of microplastics in the diet of this nocturnal and elusive mammal.
This initiative is a component of the collaboration agreement between the Keuper Environmental Association, the Association for Rural Development of Camp d’Elx-ADR, and the LIBERA initiative, which is promoted by SEO/BirdLife in partnership with Ecoembes.
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Man arrested after being caught trying to rob a house still under construction

A 33-year-old man in Aspe (Alicante) has been arrested by the Guardia Civil after the owner discovered him attempting to burgle a home that is currently under construction. The Guardia Civil stated that the individual was located and arrested by officers in less than half an hour, after the discovery was made through the building’s security cameras.
At 3:57 a.m., the Aspe Guardia Civil received a dispatch regarding a potential burglary at a residence that was still under construction. Security cameras installed within the residence had alerted the proprietor to the presence of an individual.
The Guardia Civil was promptly informed by the householder. Upon their arrival at the scene, the officers collected the information provided by the complainant and plainly identified the alleged perpetrator, who had a lengthy history of property crimes.
The putative perpetrator was located and apprehended by the Guardia Civil at 4:18 a.m., “just 21 minutes after receiving the alert,” the Civil Guard emphasised. An operation was initiated in the surrounding area.
The Investigating Court No. 4 of Novelda ordered the detainee’s release with the imposition of precautionary measures when he was brought before it on charges of attempted larceny.
The Civil Guard is grateful for the public’s cooperation and advises that, in such circumstances, it is advisable to refrain from engaging in direct confrontations and to promptly contact the emergency number 062.
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