Last year, Spain welcomed a record-breaking 94 million international tourists who spent around 130 billion euros (approx. £110 billion), according to Jordi Hereu, the country’s Industry and Tourism Minister.
It is Europe’s second-most visited country after France, with many travellers flocking to the sunny destination, offering options for a fun city break and a relaxing beach holiday.
The country has so many places that make the ideal holiday spot, which is why Brits love it so much.
However, as with any country, some parts aren’t so nice, and this seaside town is one of them. In fact, at certain points, it’s been recognised as the crime capital of Spain because of the violence and drug crime that roams around.
Lying in the southern part of Spain, La Linea is the crossing point of Spain and Gibraltar, with thousands of people and vehicles moving across the border daily.
While the area does have sandy beaches, because of its location, they’re sandwiched between rock on one side and high-rise tower blocks on the other.
Additionally, not too far away, you’ll find the largest oil refinery on the Iberian peninsula.
Tourists trying to catch a tan or walking along a beach will likely see several oil tankers.
The town also has been struggling with a bad reputation – known as the crime capital of Spain; you might find scenes of what looks like a “drug raid.”
According to a report by The Olive Press in 2022, police officials estimated that there are around 30 gangs that employ 3,000 people across its population of just under 65,000 residents.
Two years before the report, Netflix released a documentary titled “La Línea: La Sombra del Narco”, which translates to La Linea: the Shadow of Narco. It followed the local police’s efforts to tackle crime gangs who smuggle tobacco from Gibraltar and marijuana from Morocco, as per Spanish-fiestas.com.
Today, La Linea is doing what it can to detach itself from the image of drugs and crime.
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