Spanish police bust fake Vatican Bank branch in Fuengirola

National police arrested three Spaniards and one Colombian, accused of operating a fake Vatican Bank branch and swindling people worldwide.

Image National Police

Spanish National Police announced Friday that they had busted a ring of criminals, allegedly operating a fake branch of the Vatican Bank in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. Three Spanish nationals and one Colombian were taken into custody, suspected of swindling people all over the world. They also seized one vehicle emblazoned with the Vatican shield and with fake stickers on the windshield.

As can be seen from the video included below, the bank branch looked authentic. However, the Vatican Bank has no branches outside of the Vatican City. On approaching the fake bank branch, the glass door bore the Vatican shield and in the window a statue of the Virgin Mary can be seen, holding baby Jesus. Inside the office, various framed pictures of Pope Francis and further Vatican shields.



An investigation was launched after the Vatican Gendarmerie reported the existence of the criminal group, which they believed to be usurping the symbols, image and identity of the Vatican Bank. It was believed the criminals set up the fake bank branch to gain “huge profits” via various contracts signed with global companies which purported to offer financial advice and develop “commercial relations.”




As reported by The Local, three Spaniards and one Colombian national were arrested and taken into custody on possible charges of fraud, trespass, conspiracy and money laundering. The ringleader of the criminal group is a 30-year-old Spaniard who impersonated a member of the Vatican Diplomatic Corps and also had documents, falsified to accredit him as an Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba.


Police seized a variety of documents, along with a yacht in the Fuengirola Marina, a number of luxury cars, several luxury watches, silver ingots, computer equipment, POS terminals and a firearm. Officials also seized €5,000 in cash and a further €64,000 in the ringleader’s personal bank account.

The National Police continue to investigate to establish how many victims had been hit by the fake Vatican Bank branch and the amount of money raised by the criminal gang. Meanwhile the four suspects are languishing in police headquarters, facing charges of money laundering, fraud, criminal association and impersonation.


RT News notes that the Vatican Bank itself has seen some controversy in recent years after four priests were investigated in 2012 for operating money-laundering operations for the Mafia. A 2009 book by author Giangluigi Nuzzi also stated that the Vatican Bank had helped to create fake charity accounts, allegedly for money laundering, embezzlement and political donations.

Antonio Banderas is Pablo Picasso in season 2 of NatGeo's 'Genius'

A trailer has been released for the upcoming second season of the National Geographic series "Genius" starring Antonio Banderas as Pablo Picasso.

Image credit: Mr WTF/YouTube

Both Antonio Banderas and the legendary painter Pablo Picasso were born in the city of Málaga in southern Spain. Now Banderas, 57, will be giving something back to his much-loved home by portraying a fellow son of Málaga in the role of Picasso in the Fox 21 and National Geographic series titled “Genius”..
read more on Blasting News.

Watch as huge street battle in Coín leaves 2 dead and 5 injured

A massive street fight between Romani clans occurred Friday night in Coín, an inland town on the Costa del Sol.

Image credit @JesusNavarro/Twitter

Guardia Civil from surrounding areas were called in after a fight between two rival Romani clans broke out in Coín. The battle in the La Fuensanta neighbourhood saw two brothers dead and at least five injured – one seriously – and it reportedly took some four hours for authorities to calm down the bloody battle, which involved clubs, knives and sticks.

🔴 #VÍDEO Momentos de #tensión y #enfrentamientos entre los #agentes de la #GuardiaCivil y #vecinos de la barriada de La Fuensanta de #Coín (#Málaga) tras la #pelea en la que han muerto apuñalados dos hermanos. pic.twitter.com/Mw2cKIBuvI

— Jesús Navarro (@JesusNavarro) January 5, 2018

The bloody confrontation is thought to have started at around 5 p.m. Friday, when the 112 emergency control centre started receiving calls about a huge fight in which knives were being used. As reported by Euro Weekly News, medical teams, Civil Guard, Local Police and firefighters were dispatched to sort out the street fight, where at least one vehicle was set on fire.

🔴 #VÍDEO Noche larga y tensa en #Coín (#Málaga) tras la #pelea multitudinaria en la que han muerto #apuñalados dos #hermanos y otras dos personas han resultado heridas de gravedad. La #GuardiaCivil y la #PolicíaLocal mantienen un importante #despliegue en el municipio. pic.twitter.com/u1lBzKGIkR

— Jesús Navarro (@JesusNavarro) January 5, 2018

Watch Amazon flashmob in Madrid with real surprise ending

Workers at the Amazon fulfillment centre in Madrid put on an incredible flash mob recently, but only one knew the real why.

Image: Twitter/@JeffBezos

Around 700 workers at the Madrid fulfillment centre showed their skills, dancing around and giving their best moves. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos got wind of the fun video and posted it on Twitter, adding there is a "big surprise" at the end, which he loved.

You'll have to watch the whole video to see the surprise, but it's certainly worth it!

Turns out our Amazon fulfillment center associates in Madrid can dance… And one got a big surprise at the end! Love it! pic.twitter.com/7MufxruSXe

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) December 27, 2017

Head for beauty in 2018!

Truck driver dies in serious crash on La Cala beach, Costa del Sol

A large vegetable delivery truck crashed through the railings on the A-7 coastal highway on Sunday, landing onto the beach.

In the latest accident on the dangerous curve on the A-7 highway, just past the town of La Cala de Mijas and above the beach, a truck driver has died. 

Reportedly taking the corner too fast, the driver crashed his truck through the protective railing and the cab and trailer ended up landing on its roof on the sand. According to one witness, the cab of the truck was virtually buried in the sand. Terry Buckler said he and his friend tried to help the driver, but it was too late. The driver's identity is unknown, but the trailer has Spanish plates while the cab has Moroccan number plates.

Buckler was concerned, as he said he had seen two people sitting in that area of the beach shortly prior to the crash. It is unknown if they were affected.

The beach is now strewn with tomatoes and green peppers, flung from the truck as it fell some 10 metres down. Last year saw a similar scene, when a truck carrying melons crashed through in a similar area of the highway, covering the beach with smashed melons and seeds.

Raw images taken at the scene are included below - all are copyright Spanish News in English:

40 injured as nightclub floor collapses in Tenerife

A section of floor at a crowded nightclub collapsed early Sunday, sending patrons plunging into the basement.

Image credit: Libre Diario @ Digital/YouTube

It happened at around 2:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Butterfly Disco Club in Adeje, Tenerife. While patrons were dancing and enjoying themselves, a section of the floor collapsed, sending people plunging into the basement, approximately one floor below. 40 people were injured in the fall. A performer on stage can be seen falling as the floor collapses in the video posted to Twitter below.

#CosasDeYoutube
El hundimiento del suelo de la discoteca Butterfly en Adeje (Tenerife) pic.twitter.com/VuLvlbl1OS

— CarlaxyS5 (@CarlaxyS5) November 27, 2017

According to officials on Tenerife, approximately four square metres of floor gave way, causing people to fall down into the basement. Emergency medical teams were soon on the site. The Canary Islands regional government said in a statement that among the injured were two British men aged 57 and 59, two French men aged 38 and 40, a 23-year-old Belgian woman and a 45-year-old Romanian man. However, according to Britain’s foreign office, they were in contact with several British national who had received injuries in the incident.

📹 Nueve de los 40 heridos por el desplome de la discoteca Butterfly de Adeje permanecen hospitalizados ▶️ https://t.co/kJqxGEKgiJ #Adeje #SucesosDA pic.twitter.com/KdlaHtoeyj

— Diario de Avisos (@diariodeavisos) November 27, 2017

The local fire department posted videos on Twitter, showing rescuers digging through the rubble with their hands. The firefighters stayed at the scene until around 6:00 a.m., searching the basement to ensure no one else was trapped inside. Other videos posted to social media showed EMTs attending to people outside the club. The video below clearly shows the damage to the nightclub.

21 people were taken to hospital by ambulance, while another person was treated at the scene and released. 18 other people made their own way to the hospital for treatment according to the mayor of Tenerife. Among the injuries were ankle sprains, broken legs and bruises. At least two people were deemed to be seriously injured.

The nightclub is located in a shopping mall in the popular tourist destination of Playa de las Americas. The Local reports that the Butterfly is a popular gay nightclub which features Go-Go dancers and drag shows on Saturday nights.

Jose Miguel Rodriguez Fraga, the major of Tenerife, said the club’s license is in order and did not appear to have been overcrowded when the floor gave way. The basement was unused and empty at the time. However we said all establishments in the shopping mall have been ordered to shut as a precaution, even though they are structurally independent.

Costa del Sol shaken by two earthquakes in 24 hours

The National Geographic Institute in Spain recorded two earthquakes in 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday at a magnitude of over 3.0.

Small quakes shake up the Costa del Sol - Image credit National Geographic Institute Spain

While most of us likely felt nothing, the Costa del Sol was shaken up by two earthquakes on Tuesday, within a period of 24 hours. At 7 p.m. Tuesday night, the National Geographic Institute of Spain recorded a quake with a magnitude 3.2 on the Richter scale, at a depth of 34 km, north east of Comares.

According to Euroweekly News, early on Wednesday morning, another quake was recorded in the sea off Torremolinos at a magnitude of 3.1, with a depth of 34 km. 

On Friday last week, the National Geographic Institute recorded a magnitude 4.0 quake south of Malaga in the Alboran Sea. This was followed by a series of five small aftershocks, measuring from 2.0 to 2.6. The Andalucia emergency control centre received many calls from Torremolinos, Malaga, Rincon de la Victoria and Estepona, but no reports have been received of any injuries or damage to property. 

Did any reader feel the earthquakes? Let us know in the comment section below.