British man, 29, shot dead in popular holiday resort as police launch murder probe
The shooting is the latest in a string of violent crimes in the area which police are investigating
A British man has been shot dead on the Spanish holiday resort of Costa Blanca.
Listen to this article
The 29-year-old's body was found inside an address after friends allegedly told police "something serious" had happened.
The discovery was made by officers at the residential property in an area known as Campoamor in Orihuela Costa, just north of the tourist resort of Torrevieja, on December 21.
An Alicante-based Civil Guard specialist homicide unit is said to have launched a murder probe, with detectives treating it as a drugs-related crime, the Express reports.
Read more: Man, 22, arrested over fatal stabbing of teenager in London after two-week manhunt
The killing comes less than three weeks after another British national was shot at least three times in an underground car park in the same area.
Around 15 bullets were reportedly fired at a 32-year-old's car, before the victim was rushed to Torrevieja University Hospital and admitted to an intensive care ward.
Detectives are now investigating whether the two crimes and others in recent months involving British and Irish nationals on the Costa Blanca are related.
In May, another man was critically injured after being shot in the head near to the La Zenia Boulevard shopping centre in Alicante. Two suspects were arrested a fortnight later on suspicion of attempted murder.