Agents of the National Police have dismantled the largest "narco-sailing boats" organization in the world that operated between South America and Europe. The agents were able to find out that the organization also operated on the islands of Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. In the Canary Islands, they established maritime links to South America with which they created "narco-routes".
The investigation has been promoted by the Investigating Court 4 of Arrecife and the Public Prosecutor's Office attached to those courts, from where the instruction has been directed at a judicial level.
In turn, from the south of Spain, those responsible for the organization coordinated and directed the transport of each vessel and, in their security environments, held meetings with the links from the countries of origin from where the narcotic substance was supplied.
During the operation, 50 people have been arrested and 47 entries and searches have been carried out in Spain (28) and in seven countries: Norway (13), Bulgaria (1), United Kingdom (1), Panama (1), Trinidad and Tobago (1), Portugal (1) and Colombia (1). In addition, 1,500 kilos of cocaine, eight boats, 36 vehicles and more than 85 telephone terminals have been seized.
The investigation began in June 2020 jointly with the authorities of the United Kingdom, when detecting a British organization based in Spain, which had international trade channels for cocaine trafficking from South America to Europe through Spain. The investigations of the researchers allowed to identify the members of the criminal structure and discover that the organization had a conglomerate of vessels at its disposal, which they registered in the name of third parties to try to hide their illicit purposes.
Norwegian agents from the NCIS, the American agency DEA, the British agency NCA, the European MAOC and with the support of EUROPOL have participated in the joint operation, and in collaboration with police officers from France, Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria, Panama and Saint Lucia.
During the joint action, 28 searches have been carried out in Spain in the provinces of Málaga (13), Valencia (6), Almería (5), Alicante (2), Girona (1) and Murcia (1), with a total of 26 people allegedly members of the criminal organization being arrested. Among those arrested are 16 Norwegians, including a converted bank and armored van robber who had already served 15 years in prison for violent acts of this type and who, for a year, had joined the ranks of the criminal group for his criminal experience and the respect he enjoyed in the face of the Eastern European mafias.
