Spanish police have dismantled a network of drug traffickers suspected of using speedboats to smuggle large quantities of cocaine and hashish from Morocco into southern Spain, the agency said on Friday (December 17th). European Police Europol.
Spanish police arrested 17 people in connection with the operation earlier this week, including the suspected network leader, Europol said.
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The head of the traffickers is considered "
one of the largest importers of cocaine and hashish from Morocco to the Iberian Peninsula
," according to the statement.
Among those arrested, eleven are Spaniards, the others Moroccans.
Property seized to the tune of 6 million euros
The traffickers are suspected of having used speedboats to transport the drugs in the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to southern Spain, from where the cargo left elsewhere in Europe. They are also suspected of having laundered the profits from the sale of the drug by buying properties and running several businesses where a lot of cash circulates, such as "
two restaurants in Barcelona
", Europol said. Police seized property worth more than 6 million euros ($ 6.8 million), including 26 cars, eight properties and ten luxury watches.
The gang is suspected of being the author of two attempts to smuggle 4.3 tonnes of hashish and 1.3 tonnes of cocaine into southern Spain in 2021, which were foiled by police.
Agents of the Belgian federal police and the French gendarmerie took part in the operation, with Europol ensuring operational coordination and facilitating the exchange of information.
Spain's geographical proximity to Morocco, a major producer of hashish, and its links with its former colonies in Latin America, a major cocaine-producing area, have made it a key gateway for drugs intended for the European market. .