National Police agents, in collaboration with the DEA, have dismantled what is considered the largest methamphetamine trafficking organization in Europe, a drug they introduced into Spain hidden in shipments of marble stones imported from Mexico, and which had a branch in Tenerife.
In this operation, the second phase of Operation Saga, which resulted in the second-largest methamphetamine seizure on the continent, nine people have been arrested, including a member of the Sinaloa Cartel and the owner of a marble company that received stones imported from Mexico with which the drug was introduced, the General Directorate of Police reported this Wednesday in a press release.In the first phase of this operation, in 2024, the largest supply point for these drugs in Europe was dismantled, in collaboration with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with 1,800 kilos of methamphetamines seized from a Hispanic-Mexican organization that allowed the trafficking of this substance **through Tenerife, Madrid, Valencia, and Alicante.**
40 kilos of methamphetamine in a statue
Following this blow, agents, directed by Central Investigating Court 6 of the National Court, detected that the members of the organization were trying to restructure themselves economically in both Mexico and Spain.
In July 2024, police arrested a historic drug trafficker from the island in Tenerife, the alleged recipient of a shipment of 40 kilos of methamphetamine hidden in the base of a marble statue over a meter and a half tall.
A member of the Sinaloa Cartel and 38 kilos of marijuana
Last September, investigators arrested a member of the Sinaloa Cartel who was hiding in a Madrid apartment, rarely leaving it, and receiving a salary of 2,500 euros per month in exchange for his silence, as he had participated in the introduction of the 1,800 kilos seized in Alicante.In turn, a shipment of 38 kilograms of marijuana that had been sent to Finland was intercepted, after which, thanks to the collaboration with local authorities, the recipient was arrested, who had traveled there exclusively to take charge of the shipment.
Leader arrested and three million seized in a bunker
After several investigations, agents arrested a businessman who used his marble company to smuggle the narcotic substance hidden in marble stones imported from MexicoIn the search conducted at one of his industrial warehouses, nearly 3,000,000 euros were found hidden in an underground bunkerIn turn, the alleged leader of this criminal network of drug transporters, who coordinated operations between Dubai and Mexico, was arrested, as were the remaining members of the organizationIn searches carried out at homes in Valencia (2), Alicante (3), Málaga (1), and Madrid (1), seven luxury watches, seven mobile phones, geolocation devices, and various ammunition were seizedAs a result of this operation, nine people have been arrested for belonging to a criminal organization, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and what investigators consider the largest criminal network in Europe dedicated to methamphetamine trafficking has been dismantled.
