National Police have carried out an operation in Murcia, Alicante and Almeria in which they have seized more than 100 kilos of marijuana, hashish, cocaine, speed and ecstasy that were going to be smuggled to the United Kingdom and other countries in northern and eastern Europe using ‘mules’.
As part of the operation, 43 people from the UK, Colombia, Spain, Ireland, Morocco and Peru were arrested. After being handed over to the judicial authorities, 14 of them were sent to prison, according to sources from the Corps in a press release.
During the 30 house searches carried out, more than half a million euros, 100 kilograms of marijuana, two kilograms of hashish, 500 grams of cocaine and almost a kilogram of methamphetamine have been seized and eleven indoor crops have been dismantled. Three small firearms were also seized, two of them with their serial numbers erased, several air pistols and other simulated ones, as well as a shotgun.
The agents thus put an end to a criminal network based in the Levante area, which was dedicated to supplying drugs to different national and international narco-organisations.
The drugs were stored in more than 30 homes linked to the organisation with the intention of preparing them for distribution.
The leaders of the network had established such an extensive drug trafficking network at national and international level that in order to fulfil the drug orders they had to devise a system of rotating shifts so as not to stop at any time to cultivate, store and prepare the drugs.
During the operation, eleven indoor marijuana crops were dismantled, which were strategically exploited in different periods of time in order to always have a supply of drugs to export.
The criminal organisation recruited UK citizens as ‘mules’ to cross the border with suitcases full of vacuum-packed drugs. The rapid intervention of the agents prevented two drug shipments of 30 kilos of marijuana from flying to the British country on two occasions.
MONEY, DRUGS, VEHICLES AND WEAPONS
The operation was carried out on 17 May and involved more than 250 agents from different units, who, coordinated from the ground and air, simultaneously carried out 30 house searches.
Specifically, 100 kilograms of marijuana, two kilograms of hashish, 500 grams of cocaine and almost one kilogram of methamphetamine were seized. In addition, 11 indoor marijuana crops were dismantled, in which 200 lamps, 150 transformers, 67 fans, 37 filters and 67 ventilators were seized.
During the operation, three small firearms were also seized, two of them with their serial numbers erased, several air pistols and other simulated ones, as well as a shotgun, and 26 vehicles related to the criminal network. To gain access to the main residence of the organisation, the intervention of the Special Security Operations Group (G.O.E.S.) was necessary, with the aerial support of the drone of the Aerial Means Unit.
The alleged perpetrators are charged with the alleged crimes of drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, fraudulent use of electricity, belonging to an organisation and money laundering, as more than half a million euros in cash and bank accounts were seized.