The Guardia Civil in Alicante has arrested a British man over the fatal shooting of a twenty-nine-year-old Englishman whose body was found in Orihuela Costa last December. The victim was discovered at a property in the Campoamor area on the evening of twenty-one December after local police were alerted by people who said something serious had happened to a friend.

Specialist homicide officers and forensic teams were called to the scene, and the investigation was later declared secret by a court in Orihuela. Police believe the killing was the result of a drugs-related score-settling. No personal details of the suspect have been released.

The detainee appeared before a judge in Orihuela last Thursday and has been remanded in custody without bail. He is formally under investigation for homicide or murder, while officers continue to examine whether other people were involved.

The case forms part of a wider investigation into violent crime involving British nationals in the Vega Baja area. The Guardia Civil has said all lines of inquiry remain open as detectives work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the shooting.