An international criminal organization that introduced drugs into the Canary Islands and sent them to the Peninsula has been dismantled

Five people have been arrested who used "rental vans" to collect and deliver narcotics.

September 11 2023 (10:41 WEST)
Updated in September 11 2023 (11:10 WEST)
Cocaine and hashish seized by the National Police

National Police agents have arrested five people as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of drug trafficking and membership of a criminal organization, which was dedicated to the reception, preparation, transport and distribution of narcotic substances in different parts of the peninsula and the Canary archipelago.

The investigation began earlier this year, when the existence of an international criminal organization was known to have a major network dedicated to the transport of different narcotic substances, mainly hashish and cocaine, through a logistics network typical of a multinational company.

Specifically, the organization was engaged in the reception of both hashish from North Africa and cocaine from South America. Its preparation and placing on the market was carried out through legitimate transport logistics companies, making the investigation difficult. As they managed to mask the movements of the drug until it was collected at its final destination. This varied between different places in the Peninsula, Valencia, Madrid and Fuengirola, as well as the Canary archipelago, especially the islands of Tenerife and Fuerteventura.

Distribution of drugs in rental vans

After an arduous investigation, the agents were able to determine that the organization had multiple carriers with precise orders on how and where to collect and deliver the narcotic substance, after preparing it, using rental vans for this purpose.

During the investigation, three searches were carried out in homes in Madrid, Tenerife, and Fuerteventura, in which 510 kilograms of cocaine and 1,500 kilograms of hashish were seized, in addition to various goods and utensils related to the preparation and preparation of the drug.

"510 kilograms of cocaine and 1,500 kilograms of hashish have been seized, as well as various goods"

Finally, it was possible to identify those in charge of the criminal organization, some of them with records for violent crimes, who were located and arrested, two of them in Gran Canaria, one in Toledo, one in Fuerteventura and one in Algeciras, when he was trying to flee to his country of origin.

All of them were brought to judicial disposition, ordering the imprisonment of two of them. The investigation remains open and the arrest of more people related to the criminal network is not ruled out.

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