This is just one of the unsavoury sights in a tourist hotspot where drugs and gang warfare are exposing British families to a murky world of danger. This is Marbella β a haven for celebrities, and a top destination for Brits wanting to rub shoulders with the super-rich in the Spanish sun. Calle Ribera faces directly onto the ocean, with designer shops and trendy bars and restaurants that are packed out until the early hours.
A favourite haunt of celebrities since the s, it is a firm favourite with the cast of TOWIE and is a great place to spot a footballer.
Even here, not everything is as it seems. In the course of the evening we counted at least 40 young women walking up and down, approaching any man who made even the slightest eye contact.
The drug dealers too operate in a similar way β all within full view of the police, who did not seem to bat an eyelid. Much of the action appeared to centre on infamous nightclub The Navy Bar. Once inside, it quickly becomes apparent it is a magnet for prostitutes looking for rich visitors.
This is Marbella, baby. More worrying, though, is the rise of gangs that has seen an escalation in violence and a spate of murders. The 15 killings in the Malaga region in the last 10 months is almost double what it was in Seven of those were in Marbella β and all linked to organised crime.
