Spanish Police Solve Murder of Moroccan Street Vendor in Torremolinos

As in any classic investigation, the agents began by digging into Ahmed’s life in search of enemies. But the Moroccan, a street vendor in the markets of Malaga and Cadiz, had no criminal record for drug trafficking or organized crime. Since August 2020, he had been staying at the Las Flores hostel located in the center of Torremolinos. The owner of the establishment told the police that he led a simple and orderly life and received very few visits. With these elements, the investigators ruled out the hypothesis of a settling of scores between drug traffickers, reports Diario Vasco.

For the agents, the crime seems to be the work of a professional hitman. Ahmed was coldly shot around 6 a.m. on April 19, 2021, as he was about to start his truck parked on a street. A hooded man hidden between two cars shot him six times with a pistol. The Moroccan was hit by two bullets in the buttocks and another in the heart, which proved fatal. The crime took place in the middle of the pandemic, when restrictive measures were in force. So, no witness. Ahmed’s body was not found until 9 a.m.

The investigators viewed the images from all the security cameras in the perimeter. In one of them, they were able to see the hooded man carrying a shoulder bag approaching the scene of the murder on foot. His identity remains to be discovered. In search of clues, the agents discovered that Ahmed had not obtained the authorization to be a street vendor, and had to associate with people who were in order. According to one of his partners, Ahmed was an "aggressive" and sometimes "a bit provocative" vendor. This witness confirmed to the agents that the victim had disagreements with another vendor nicknamed "The Portuguese".

The agents showed this witness a video of the hooded man, the presumed perpetrator of the murder. The size, complexion and way of walking of the latter correspond to those of the son of "The Portuguese", he confirms. Comparing the posture of the presumed murderer and the suspect, the 29-year-old son of "The Portuguese", the specialists found a "match". After a thorough investigation, he was arrested on May 24, 2021. The prosecution has requested a sentence of 26 and a half years in prison against him for the crimes of murder and illegal possession of a firearm, as well as compensation of 100,000 euros for Ahmed’s family.