THIS is the astonishing moment balaclava-wearing cops ask Manchester City star Erling Haaland to pull out his ID during a police raid at a Costa beach club.
The Golden Boot winner was filmed putting his hands into his pocket to take out his ID after being surprised as he enjoyed some R&R at the popular hangout Playa Padre in the resort of Marbella.
Moments before heavily armed police in riot gear were spotted running into the beach club as a helicopter hovered overhead – in a raid that is believed to be part of “Operation Marbella”.
Spanish police are carrying out dramatic – but “routine” – surprise checks on venues as part of a crackdown on organised crime.
Photos of heavily armoured police mingling with swimwear-clad beachgoers have become a semi-regular sight this summer on Marbella.
Norwegian striker Haaland appears to have been unlucky as he got caught up in one of the random raids.
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He is not accused of doing anything wrong – but is understood to have merely been subject to routine police checks.
Witnesses reported up to 200 officers were involved in the operation.
Dramatic footage of the police swoop at the club showed cops wearing body armour rushing in before speaking to partygoers.
Playa Padre was officially opened in 2017 by Hollywood actress Eva Longoria.
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The raid came three weeks after police wearing body armour stormed the famous Ocean Beach club in neighbouring Puerto Banus in a similar operation.
Stunned British holidaymakers in swim shorts and bikinis were ordered out of its pool so they could identify themselves.
The back-to-back club raids have followed a string of shootings in the area – with the so-called Operation Marbella being launched to help assure tourists they are safe.
Haaland, enjoying some downtime in Marbella where he and his former footballer dad Alfie own property after Norway failed to qualify for Euro 2024, regularly visits Playa Padre when he is in town.
He was pictured there last weekend, letting his hair down as he danced alongside a DJ in front of other revellers.
Club owners have not yet made any comment on social media about yesterday’s incredible broad-daylight raid, and the Spanish National.
A spokeswoman for Spain’s National Police in Malaga said today the operation at Playa Padre had led to the arrest of a fugitive who was using fake ID.
Police went in around 8.30pm yesterday. It is not known how long they stayed.
The police spokeswoman said: “This was an inspection within the framework of Operation Marbella which was launched in April.
“It led to the detention of a 33-year-old man who was the subject of an arrest warrant and is now facing extradition to the country that issued the warrant.
“He presented false ID before his real identity was established and the arrest made.”
Well-placed sources said he was Iranian, although it is not known which country was looking for him.
Playa Padre describes itself on its website as a “unique place in Marbella where the magic and the influence of the Mediterranean Sea converge with the most exclusive rhythms and atmosphere.”
Standard single sunbeds, available until only 6pm on Sundays when Boho Sunday events featuring live music start, cost £33 and require a minimum £33 spend.
VIP beds for up to four people cost £335 because the minimum spend is £210
A bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne is included.
The glitzy venue is part of the Mosh Group, which has several establishments in the area including restaurants and beach clubs.
Before the club raid Haaland was spotted refuelling his $140,000 Ferrari at a petrol station in the southern Spanish port city of Algeciras around an hour’s drive west of Marbella.
He is thought to have been heading back to Marbella from the windsurfers’ paradise of Tarifa when he stopped to fill up his electric-blue Ferrari California.
One expat Brit, commenting on what had happened, joked afterwards about the footage of police raiding the club: “Who knew the National Police were such Erling Haaland fans.
“Actual footage of them running to get selfies with the Man City star at Playa Padre.”
Another onlooker, saying it had happened just before dusk, put the number of police-involved at around 200.
The last high-profile raid of this kind in Marbella was on May 25 at the Ocean Club.
Police issued loudspeaker messages in Spanish and English after going in saying: “This is just a routine check. The minute we finish you can continue enjoying your afternoon.
“Don’t worry, there’s nothing serious going on.”
The images of the operation, which lasted nearly two hours and also involved a police helicopter which hovered overhead after officers moved in, showed why some revellers were left uneasy about their holidays being interrupted in such a radical way.
One clubber is understood to have been arrested, although police did not comment officially on the reason for the detention at the time.
Operation Marbella was launched on April 11.
Police warned locals and visitors at the time they could expect to see more random stops and police checkpoints in and around the holiday destination.
They said nothing about surprise raids on busy tourist-popular venues, although shortly before the one at the Ocean Club heavily-armed officers crashed a gym at a sports club in the residential area of Nueva Andalucia near Puerto Banus and made three arrests.
Gym users were asked for their ID before being allowed to continue with their routines.
The seven shootings so far this year in the Marbella area have included a March 11 attack on British-run eatery La Sala near Puerto Banus that led to the arrests in April of a British man and Irish national described by police as having links to organised crime.
Kerry Katona claimed recently she had U-turned on a decision to move to the famous Costa del Sol resort with her family including fiancé Ryan Mahoney because she no longer feels safe about the prospect following the violent incidents there.
Fernando Bentabol, the prosecutor in charge of combatting narco crime in the province of Malaga which Marbella is part of, shone the spotlight on its dark underbelly in a recent newspaper interview by likening it to Medellin.
Colombia’s second-largest city Medellin was the most violent in the world in the 1990s before a clean-up and the former home of notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Asking if Marbella was becoming Medellin, the prosecutor said: “Yes and no.
“It can’t be compared to Medellin because countries such as Colombia are the ones that produce drugs, and most of the actions there are related to plantations, as happens in Morocco for example with cannabis.
“We are in the area where the drugs are introduced and distributed to Europe.
“But in terms of the level of the organisations involved and their economic capacity, yes it can of course be compared.”
Locals have branded parts of Marbella like Puerto Banus the “Wild West”.
Playa Padre, which attracts a mainly international crowd, went up in flames in February 2019.
Eva Longoria opened it in 2017 because of her friendship with the owner.
The actress was wrongly named as one of the owners following the inauguration.
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Pamela Anderson and former Made in Chelsea star Ashley James have also been pictured partying there.
The Sun has contacted Playa Padre and Manchester City for comment.
What is Operation Marbella?
By Tom Malley
SPANISH police have launched “Operation Marbella” to crackdown on violence and keep Brits safe after a spate of recent gang shootings.
The Costa del Sol resort is fast becoming a hotspot for crime and cops have warned locals and visitors they can expect to see more random stops and officer checkpoints in and around the holiday destination.
They are understood to be increasing vigilance in residential areas as well as shopping centres and nightspots, like the millionaire’s playground of Puerto Banus.
It comes after two terrifying shootings in March, within the space of a week.
As police crackdown on crime they are recruiting the help of sniffer dogs and “aerial resources” – including helicopters and drones.
The start of the operation, which will continue through the summer season into October, comes after locals started branding areas like Puerto Banus the “Wild West” following four shooting incidents in just over a month
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
