The Civil Guard has dismantled a criminal organization specialized in drug trafficking between the peninsula and the Canary Islands, which had its base in Lanzarote, where it had a laboratory to adulterate different narcotic substances. In addition to the island, the CADCAN operation has been carried out in Fuerteventura, Tenerife, Madrid and Huelva and has resulted in seven people arrested, all of them related to the seizure of 20 kilograms of cocaine, 100 grams of methamphetamine and 3 kilograms of phenacetin, a substance used to cut and adulterate the drug.
In Lanzarote, three people have been arrested, two men and one woman, all of Dominican nationality.
This investigation began in March of last year, when agents had sufficient evidence pointing to a Dominican citizen as a possible distributor of cocaine on the island of conejera.
With the first steps, the agents were able to corroborate how this person led a criminal organization located on that island and with direct links to different points of the peninsula.
Up to 22 vehicles prepared with "double bottoms"
In the same way, it was found that this organization had a high number of vehicles prepared with "double bottoms" to hide the drug, distributed by several islands and Madrid, reaching to count up to 22 cars that would have been traveling through the different maritime shipping companies between the peninsula and the Canary Islands, all of them supposedly linked to the transport of narcotics.
After analyzing all the information obtained and once the members of this criminal group were fully identified, it was learned that due to the mobility restrictions derived from Covid-19, the number of trips with these vehicles decreased considerably. However, as they were softened, the criminal group resumed its activities at the end of last year, so the researchers proceeded to have a more exhaustive control of their movements.
It had its base in Lanzarote
Therefore, the agents were able to corroborate how this criminal organization had its main base on the island of Lanzarote, having been deployed and settled in Fuerteventura and Tenerife, also having strong support in Madrid as the starting point of the drug.
All this dissemination of its members had been generated in accordance with the gradual increase in drug transports to the Canary Islands and, therefore, with the intention of expanding its drug sales network.
It was also found that they had several homes on the three islands, used as drug "hiding places" and temporary accommodation for their members. In one of them, in Lanzarote, they also had a laboratory for the adulteration of drugs that arrived from the peninsula.
Another line of investigation focused on locating the possible places where the vehicles could be being manipulated, which had "sophisticated compartments" for hiding the drug of complex access and very difficult to detect in police inspections according to the Benemérita. As an example, it is pointed out that in the port of Huelva it was possible to detect two cars that intended to embark to the Canary Islands, seizing 13 and 2.3 kilograms of cocaine respectively.
After these events, the main members of the organization considered the possibility of leaving the country to avoid possible arrests, which forced the immediate exploitation of this operation and arrest of those responsible as alleged perpetrators of crimes against public health, membership of a criminal organization and illegal possession of weapons.
Several home searches were also carried out, where more quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, cutting substances such as phenacetin, 23,000 euros in cash and a real loaded pistol, ready for use, as well as a hydraulic press and all kinds of molds and accessories necessary for the adulteration of cocaine were seized.
With these actions, the researchers consider this criminal group, very active in the Canary archipelago, as well as its entire transport and distribution network, dismantled.
The actions were carried out by the Organized Crime Team of the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard based in the Canary Islands, together with the EDOAs of the Huelva and Madrid Commands, supported by various Territorial Units of the Huelva, Las Palmas, Tenerife and Madrid Commands.
