TWO “dangerous” Brits are facing 11 years behind bars after holding a terrified couple at gunpoint and demanding a £860,000 ransom.
The accused, said to be drug dealers, allegedly kidnapped, threatened and imprisoned a husband and wife at their Costa del Sol villa for two days.
A couple were allegedly held at gunpoint by a trio of ‘dangerous’ Brit dealers in 2021 Credit: Getty
Police were alerted to the incident after one of the victims managed to text a friend Credit: Getty
Their victims were said to be handcuffed during the horror ordeal and told they could only leave if they paid a €1million (£860k) ransom.
Spanish police say three Brit men were involved in the extortion plot, but only two face prosecution.
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The third has already been extradited by the UK authorities.
Prosecutors are accusing both men of kidnapping, possession of regulated firearms without a licence and a minor crime of injury.
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A trial is set to start next week.
The couple went to a petrol station in Marbella to meet one of the defendants and another man at around 7.30pm on September 7, 2021.
They did not know the suspects, but met them at the suggestion of a friend, who had told them that they could help give them legal status in Spain.
From there, they all travelled by car to a specific address.
At one point, the alleged assailants urged them to stop the vehicle and tied them up after pointing a firearm at them, prosecutors said.
They then untied the man to drive to a remote area, where they picked up the second defendant.
After driving to the victims’ Marbella home, the couple were allegedly held and handcuffed for two days.
During the kidnapping, the defendants are said to have ordered the hefty ransom in exchange for their release.
They allegedly threatened to shoot the couple if they could not get the money together.
The couple’s nationality has not yet been revealed, but they were not Spanish.
One of the victims was able to discreetly Whatsapp a friend while their alleged captors weren’t looking.
The person quickly notified the police, who went to the house, freed the couple and arrested the suspects.
One of the trio was extradited by British authorities in 2023.
Police described all three men as “very dangerous” and “violent drug traffickers”.
Two of them were reportedly on the run from the UK.
