Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
A MAJOR drug cartel operating between Malaga and La Linea as well Ceuta in the early hours of the morning has been brought down in an operation that saw more than one tonne hashish seized along with luxury cars and tens thousands of pounds in cash.
On Tuesday morning, October 21, the Policia Nacional conducted coordinated raids in Malaga, La Linea and Ceuta.
Operation Roble, a year-long investigation codenamed Operation Roble, has seen 15 people arrested during the latest phase.
READ MORE High-ranking Balkan cartel leader who ‘tortured rival for 24 hours before murdering him’ is arrested on Costa del Sol after Europe-wide manhunt
Police said the gang had received the hashish from Ceuta. It was then hidden in warehouses that were hard to access in remote areas.
The drugs were packed into boats or vehicles with false bottoms and smuggled over the Strait, to the Campo de Gibraltar in Spain or Costa del Sol. This was done to maintain storage facilities for the organisation.
The network operated under strict discipline and secrecy. Each member was assigned a specific task within a tightly-organised structure intended to frustrate investigators.
READ MORE A man accused of shooting two gangsters dead in a Costa del Sol pub will be extradited back to Spain
Nine members of this same network were already arrested in previous phases and are currently in pre-trial.
Police say that more arrests will be made as long as the investigation continues.
Officers seized 1,120 kilos of hashish, 120 grams of cocaine, a marijuana plantation, €50,000 in cash, and 17 high-end vehicles including 11 luxury cars and six motorbikes.
READ MORE ‘Just need him blind and face melted’: UK ‘Lord of War’ arms trafficker told thug to ‘double dose’ in horrific acid plot before Costa del Sol arrest
The operation also included elite police officers including GEOs and riot officers as well as canine teams, air support, and GEO.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
