Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Europol has supported the work of the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Portuguese Judiciaria Police and the Guarda Nacional Republicana in dismantling a criminal network involved in smuggling large quantities of cocaine and hashish into the European Union via the African route. The investigation also included law enforcement authorities from France and the United Kingdom.
According to the publication of the European Police Agency, which is based in The Hague, the Netherlands, the security operation witnessed 50 arrests, the seizure of nearly 5 tons of hashish and 2 tons of cocaine, and the seizure of equipment, including boats, 350-horsepower engines, and nearly 4,000 liters of petrol, vehicles and trailers. and bottleneck detectors and beacons used to track shipments.
According to the statement issued on the European Agency's website, "The year-long investigation discovered that the criminal network had established a multi-product trafficking scheme with a two-way supply chain. This consisted of the smuggling of cannabis from Morocco to South America, the cocaine's return across the Atlantic Ocean and across the west coast of Africa before it was transported to Mainland Spain Cocaine was smuggled in containers and transported using speedboats that were also used to smuggle hashish.
Initially, investigators identified members of the organization, based in Huelva and the Gibraltar region, as involved in drug trafficking across the sea throughout the Iberian Peninsula. The investigation revealed that the leaders of the organization were also stationed in these two regions, while other members were operating in Morocco, Portugal and the Canary Islands.
This investigation highlights a new development: cannabis trafficking networks have established links with cocaine trafficking organizations and are using existing supply chains to diversify their drug portfolio and improve their logistics in pursuit of higher profits.
Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided ongoing analytical support to the investigation. In the two working days, Europol deployed experts in Spain to review operational information in real time and provide evidence to officers in the field.