IN July of last year, a video went viral of what appeared to be an assassination attempt in Marbella, close to a shopping mall in Puerto Banus. In it, a man was seen brandishing an automatic weapon and firing toward a target who was out of the frame.
It later transpired that the objective was Thomas M. B., better known as ‘Medhi’. This French national was wanted by police for various offences, and is well known to the authorities as a ‘drug thief’ who rips off rival gangs.
It has now emerged that Mehdi has been captured by the Spanish authorities, after he and another five accomplices fled from their residences in Marbella, perhaps aware that they were being followed by the Policia Nacional.
The gang fled the Costa del Sol in stolen vehicles with fake number plates, according to a report in La Opinion de Malaga, and headed toward Cadiz.
Read more: Who is ‘The Fly’? The ‘underestimated’ drug lord who escaped French authorities
But in the end they headed to Sevilla province, holing up in a country house in the rural area of Marzagalejo.
The area is known by the authorities as being favoured by major drug gangs, who store their narcotics there before they continue along their distribution routes. As such, it is also known for being a target for rival gangs seeking to steal the merchandise.
Needing to act urgently, the Spanish authorities swung into action on May 4 at 2pm, making use of armed units and air support on the basis that their targets were likely carrying weapons.
The raid netted the police four arrests, including that of Mehdi, while the other two members of the gang managed to escape.
Searches yielded a veritable arsenal of weapons, according to La Opinion de Malaga, including three military-grade weapons, four pistols and a further three illegal firearms.
More guns were located during the search of a property in Marbella, as well as material such as fake police paraphernalia used by the gangs in their bid to steal narcotics.
Mehdi is known to be the archenemy of another criminal known as ‘The Fly’, whose real name is Mohamed Amra.
This French national is alleged to have ordered the assassination attempt against Mehdi last summer from jail.
He made the headlines earlier this year, however, when he was sprung from custody thanks to an armed attack against the prison vehicle he was being moved in.
The truck was rammed at a toll booth in Normandy by a car, from which armed men emerged. They shot and killed two prison officers and wounded several others. They managed to release Amra, sparking a massive manhunt in France to find him and his collaborators.
The apparent rivalry between Mehdi and Amra is linked to their conflicts within the drugs trade, according to press reports.
The assassination attempt against Mehdi last year soon had a response. Just five days later, on July 23, two men linked to ‘The Fly’ by the French authorities were shot and killed in Evreux by a group of men carrying military-grade weapons.
