Barcelona: Alleged drug lord from Germany arrested

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Photo: Friso Gentsch/ dpa

German and Spanish investigators have arrested the alleged head of a group of drug dealers working from Dortmund at Barcelona airport.

According to a joint statement from the police and the public prosecutor's office, the 43-year-old from Baden-Württemberg is accused of importing and trading tons of marijuana.

According to the findings, he organized drug transports to Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, where there were further arrests.

The man had already been identified as the head of the group in 2020 by evaluating encrypted mobile phone data.

His accomplices were arrested in October 2020 while reloading 80 kilograms of drugs.

Some of them have since been convicted.

Fake papers

After a Europe-wide manhunt, the man was apparently arrested at the airport on May 11 with forged identity papers.

According to the information, he had given up his residence in Ibiza after the group was exposed and had gone into hiding.

Nevertheless, according to the announcement, he continued to organize weekly marijuana transports to accomplices in Germany.

Last week, the 43-year-old was extradited from Spain to Germany.

At the place where his partner lived, the investigators discovered lockers with around 250,000 euros in cash from drug trafficking profits, it is said.

ptz/dpa