Drug lords seized in Alicante

THE Guardia Civil, in an operation with the Tax Agency and National Police, have broken up what they describe as a major criminal organisation dedicated to drug trafficking. 39 people were arrested in Alicante last week as a culmination of the two year operation including Colombian cartel bosses. The authorities have also seized around 1,000 kilos of cocaine and located five drug laboratories which have already been dismantled. They also found 45,000 MDMA pills (a type of ecstasy), five litres of liquid ecstasy, just under 4 million euros in cash, weaponry and vehicles adapted to hide drugs as well as a ton of base materials for manufacturing narcotics. In a press statement the Guardia called the gang “highly professional” with tentacles reaching across Europe and South America. These latest arrests are also related to seven in Valencia and three in Madrid as well as operations in Portugal, Ecuador and Colombia. The operation started in 2017 after 233 kilos of cocaine were discovered in a fruit container bound for a grocers in Madrid. This led the authorities to believe they were dealing with a major organised crime gang which was shipping drugs by land, sea and air across continental borders. Those arrested are not just dealers and manufacturers but money launderers, people with links to travel agencies and others.