Police in Gran Canaria have been praised for the swift resolution to last week’s killing of a Telde man in broad daylight.
The 39-year-old was gunned down on Thursday evening by a motorcyclist in what is thought to be a contract killing stemming from a feud between rival gangs over control of Gran Canaria’s drug market.
According to media reports, he was due to face prosecution over shipments of cocaine and other drugs to the Canaries from Brazil and Colombia. His uncle, a well-known figure in the drugs world, was jailed in May for twelve years for the attempted murder of two men in the Jinámar district of the capital three years earlier.
Within 48 hours of the Telde shooting, police had identified and located two men they believe to be the perpetrator and an accomplice. The pair were placed under surveillance and arrested in scenes that onlookers said were like scenes from a Hollywood action film.
Plain-clothed officers shadowed the two men, who are reported to be from Colombia, as they walked through a busy shopping district in the island’s capital Las Palmas. According to witnesses the officers then put balaclavas on their heads to protect their identities and swooped to detain the suspects in a well-rehearsed pincer movement, pinning them to the ground before handcuffing them.
Although some have criticised the operation due to the risk a potential shoot-out posed to members of the public, the authorities have been praised for the speed with which the suspects were located and detained.
Further arrests are not ruled out in connection with the shooting. Police in Las Palmas are also on alert in case the feud escalates and are monitoring the movements of known associates on both sides.
