These are the first pictures of the weapons haul discovered at a property on Spain’s Costa del Sol and reportedly linked to the Kinahan cartel.
Spanish police said this morning they were continuing to investigate the haul and trying to identify and locate the former tenants believed to have abandoned the arsenal.
Detectives also revealed they had codenamed the probe Operation Rambo and said the weapons seized included 30 pistols, eight submachine guns, 12 rifles, two revolvers, 15 silencers and 30 balaclavas.
Overnight reports said Spanish investigators were linking the find to the Kinahan cartel. We reported in 2022 that the Kinahan cartel is understood to be working with feared Scottish crime clan the Lyons.
Scottish Conservatives MSP Russell Findlay claimed it was "widely known" that the Kinahans worked in partnership with the Glasgow-based family. All the weapons are said to have had their serial numbers erased.
The seizure was made in May last year but was only made public in the last few hours. The property where the weapons were found has been described as a second-floor flat on a residential complex in the municipality of Estepona near to Marbella where Daniel Kinahan and his father Christy were based for years before moving to Dubai.
The chilling pictures released by Spain’s National Police force showed the balaclavas confiscated laid out on one table and the array of weapons seized, described as one of the largest-ever hauls of its kind on the Costa del Sol, on another two. Spanish news website El Confidencial reported DNA found on one of the items seized “point to the Kinahan clan.”
It said the tenants had used fake ID to rent the property and had abandoned it in a hurry in November 2021 around six months before the police operation. Utility companies had already disconnected the supply of electricity and other basic services before the police moved in.
A police source told the news website: “These sorts of gangs find it easier to obtain 500 kilos of cannabis resin than a pistol. If they lose a consignment of drugs of that size, they know they’ll have an even larger one the following day.
“It’s not the same with weapons. If you lose them, it’s a problem.”
Spain’s National Police did not mention the Kinahan cartel in a statement on the find. A spokesman for the force confirmed: “The National Police has located a haul of firearms and ammunition at a property in Estepona.
“The property was empty and its tenants had not been paying the rent since November 2021. Because the bills hadn’t been paid, the electricity supply had been cut off.
“The weapons had been left in several rooms. More than 50 firearms were found and seized - 30 pistols, eight sub-machine guns, 12 rifles, two revolvers, as well as 15 silencers, eight hacksaws to cut metal, 30 balaclavas and two trackers among other items.
“The items also included telescopic sights, weapon carry cases, cartridges and a sizable amount of ammunition. Officers based in Estepona continue to carry out an investigation, called Operation Rambo, following the discovery.
“The cache of weapons was discovered by chance in May last year after property management workers accessed the property and alerted police. Other items seized were a double-barrelled pistol in the shape of a keyring as well as four long-sleeved shirts, four tracksuit bottoms and three pairs of trainers which were blue and hadn’t been used.
“The 30 balaclavas were the same colour. All of this pointed towards the fact the property was probably being used by more than one person. The investigation remains open and focused on the identification and location of the former tenants.”
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