Moment bikini-clad partygoers take a selfie as a team of armored Spanish officers raid Marbella’s beach club where they ordered shocked tourists out of the pool during a ‘routine check’

Bikini-clad revelers were photographed posing for selfies as armed police stormed a famous beach club on the Costa del Sol and ordered holidaymakers out of the pool. a two-hour ‘routine check’ over the holiday weekend.

Footage from Marbella’s popular resort of Puerto Banus showed long lines of police marching through the grounds of the Ocean Club as stunned guests made the most of the biennial champagne celebration, a tradition popular with British guests.

Tourists were urged to remain calm and assured over loudspeakers that police were only carrying out a “routine check” and “nothing serious was going on” as a helicopter circled overhead on Saturday.

One clubgoer is believed to have been arrested, although police have not yet officially commented on the reason for the detention.

Last weekend’s raid took place as part of a concerted effort to tackle violent crime in the region. Police announced last week that they had arrested 10 people after 300 ‘security checks’ as part of a so-called ‘Marbella Plan’.

The national police enters the grounds of Puerto Banus on May 25, 2024

A police officer appears to guide holidaymakers out of the way during the sudden ‘checks’

Revelers can only watch in bewilderment as the group of officers carry out their clean-up operation

Around 20 police officers were seen pacing around the resort over the Bank Holiday weekend

The spectacular club raid followed a series of shootings in the area, prompting the launch of the ‘Marbella Plan’ last month to protect British and Irish tourists.

Police warned locals and visitors at the time to expect more random stops and police checkpoints in and around the holiday destination.

They said nothing about surprise raids on busy tourist locations, although heavily armed officers raided a sports club gym in the residential area of ​​Nueva Andalucia, near Puerto Banus, earlier this month and made three arrests.

Police claimed last week that they had made 10 arrests between April 11 and May 10, claiming they had carried out as many as 300 security checks across the city.

It was reported that ‘a dozen’ bars and nightclubs were raided, with 1,300 cars stopped and searched as part of the radical new measures.

In total, around 3,000 people were arrested and ‘monitored’ during this period as part of the Marbella Plan – designed to help stem the tide of shootings in the region.

Police claimed there had been a ‘significant reduction’ in the number of burglaries and vehicle thefts linked to the operation, as reported by Euro weekly news.

Marbella has been rocked by a series of attacks this year, most notably the March 11 attack on the British eatery La Sala near Puerto Banus, which led to the arrest in April of a British man and an Irish national who police say had ties to organized crime. crime.

Kerry Katona recently claimed she made the decision to move to the famous Costa del Sol resort with her family, including fiancé Ryan Mahoney, because she no longer feels safe about the prospect following the violent incidents there.

Fernando Bentabol, the prosecutor in charge of combating narco-crime in the province of Malaga, which includes Marbella, put the spotlight on its dark underbelly in a recent newspaper interview by comparing it to Medellin, the former home of infamous cocaine baron Pablo Escobar.

When a local Spanish journalist asked if Medellin’s Costa del Sol was changing, he said: ‘Yes and no. It cannot be compared to Medellin because it is countries like Colombia that produce drugs and most actions there are related to plantations, as happens in Morocco with cannabis, for example.

‘We are in the area where the drugs are introduced and distributed to Europe.

‘But it is of course comparable in terms of the level of the organizations involved and their economic capacity.’

Locals have called parts of Marbella, such as Puerto Banus, the ‘Wild West’.

One recently suggested that tourists should think about donning a bulletproof vest with their swim shorts and sandals.

Another wrote on social media, expressing her fear that an innocent person could be killed: “A stray bullet could end up entering a house.”

In the early hours of Saturday morning, a 33-year-old man was shot at a residential area a short drive from Puerto Banus, just across the Marbella municipal boundary in the neighboring municipality of Estepona.

No arrests have been made yet. About ten shell casings believed to have been fired from an AK-47 were reportedly found at the scene.

British man Marcus Stewart mowed down several pedestrians in May 2017 after driving an Audi at high speed from the Ocean Club following a fight between two groups of men from Britain.

He was arrested by an armed officer on the beach following a police chase following a spectacular head-on collision on Marbella’s famous Golden Mile involving a car carrying an 18-day-old baby. He was later sentenced to more than five years in prison.

No charges have been brought against a second Briton held in the drama, a passenger in the car.

An officer wearing a balaclava stands guard during ‘routine checks’ at the Marbella resort

A police officer passes bewildered holidaymakers at the Ocean Club in Marbella, Spain

Puerto Banus is a popular hotspot for foreign holidaymakers in Marbella, Spain

La Sala, a popular location in Marbella, was at the center of a shooting in March (stock)

Bullets pierced the glass during an attack in March, raising concerns about local security

The Ocean Club describes itself on its website as the ‘original classic beach club in Marbella and a reference for style, modern luxury and an atmosphere that has made it famous as one of Europe’s chic favorites to relax, party and enjoy the best that the summer has to offer. to offer.’

It adds: ‘The days are relaxed, with a quality restaurant, while our themed parties are known for their glamorous, exciting and lively nature. Live music, dancers, entertainers and beautiful people make it an experience you will never forget.’

This year it held its opening party on May 3 and its second champagne party on Sunday, a day after the weekend police raid.

Bed packages for the high season around the saltwater pool cost up to £980. The most expensive packages include three bottles of Veuve Clicquot.

Revelers booking the most expensive VIP beds are being warned online that there will be an additional minimum spend of £955 on Saturdays.