Spanish News in English: andalusia

Marbella is the place to be for many celebrities, footballers and reality TV stars, who enjoy lying on the endless sandy beaches and dining in style in the local restaurants. It is now also the second-most expensive beach destination in Spain.

Celeb spotters have seen Naomi Campbell (top model), Nicole Scherzinger (US singer/songwriter) and Ashley Cole (top UK footballer) in town recently, enjoying the sun and sangria, either in the luxurious Puerto Banus or on the beaches of the Golden Mile.

On June 30, former Police member, Sting, was in town giving a concert as part of his latest world tour.

Now it is being said that Marbella is second only to Playa d’en Bossa in Ibiza in terms of luxury and expensive holidays. The town is also the most searched for destination on the holiday comparison website, Trivago.

Naturally, all this luxury comes with a price and the average night in Marbella will knock you back 190 euros, while in Playa d’en Bossa in Ibiza, the average price is 286 euros, to lay down your weary head.

Salou will cost around 166 euros, Costa Adeje 157 euros and Puerto de Alcudia and Playa de Palma are an expensive average of 146 euros.

Several other Spanish tourist spots are also increasing their prices by on average 28%, including Torremolinos, Lanzarote, Playa Blanca, Roquetas de Mar and Almunecar.

But not to worry, for those on a more conservative budget, several destinations have actually lowered their prices by 3% recently, including Fuengirola, Conil, Torrevieja, Llanes, Salou or Benicàssim.

To the source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/354709

Spain's National Police have this past week detained a Gibraltarian and two other men for the illegal possession of over 11 firearms, along with a large cache of ammunition.

The 44-year-old native of Gibraltar is suspected of being the ringleader of a Marbella-based illegal weapons network, thought to facilitate the sale of weapons to multiple criminal organizations.

Investigations began several months ago, after a gardener working in a Marbella urbanization found a collection of cartridges, and called the police.

The tip led the National Police to the home of the Gibraltar native in Marbella, which was close to where the cartridges were found, and who was already known to police for his involvement in drug trafficking.

The weapons seized by police included five assault rifles with long-range scopes, six handguns, including a pistol with laser pointer, and a pen gun.

Investigations also uncovered a large quantity of ammunition, a vehicle and 500 grams of hashish.

Police believe that the man could have used the weapons in such illegal activities as armed robberies and drug raids.

Of the other two men detained in the raid, one was believed to have been working inconspicuously as a gardener, while the other had a criminal record for possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives. They are suspected to have helped store the weapons between transactions.