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English gang leader shot multiple times in Orihuela Costa
The 32-year-old was attacked in Lomas de Cabo Roig just two weeks after being released from prison
A 32-year-old English man who had been released from prison just two weeks earlier was shot multiple times on Thursday night, December 11, in an underground car park in Orihuela Costa. The Guardia Civil is investigating the incident as a possible settling of scores between rival drug gangs.
The victim, identified as Peter F. and previously known as Sonny James R., was already well known to police. He was arrested back in April as the leader of an English armed gang that had been extorting cannabis clubs across Vega Baja, taking control of the establishments and keeping the profits for themselves.
The shooting happened at around 10pm in an underground parking area on Calle Cabo de Gata in Lomas de Cabo Roig. His vehicle was riddled with between 10 and 15 shots, with ten bullet holes in the windscreen alone. Peter F. was hit three times, with bullets striking his arm, leg and chest. Despite his injuries, he managed to get out of the car and ask a neighbour for help. The neighbour drove him to Torrevieja University Hospital, where he was admitted to the Emergency Department.
He was treated immediately and transferred to the operating theatre after diagnostic tests. He remains in the ICU in serious condition, according to hospital sources.
The Police in Pilar de la Horadada have now taken charge of the investigation and are working to identify whoever carried out the attack.
Peter F.'s arrest in April came after the Guardia Civil linked him to the robbery of a cannabis club in San Fulgencio. He had allegedly demanded €25,000 and half of the establishment's profits from the owner through death threats. During a search of his property, officers seized two submachine guns, classed as weapons of war, and more than 300 cartridges of different calibres.
The investigation identified him as the leader of a gang operating in mafia style, extorting cannabis clubs throughout the area. The group had already taken control of two establishments in the Vega Baja. Another British man was arrested alongside Peter F.
The shooting is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have left residents of Orihuela Costa demanding more police resources. Back in May, the residents' group Unidos por la Costa highlighted "the serious increase in crimes that have been occurring" following another shooting and an attempted kidnapping. Those incidents came just days after a 21-year-old Irish man was left seriously injured after being shot in the head near a leisure area close to the Zenia Boulevard shopping centre.
Image: Crime Watch Orihuela Costa
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