Charlie Smith
POLICE in Spain have smashed one of the largest cocaine labs in Europe, which was run from a luxury villa on the Costa del Sol.
The lab, also at a villa, in the Valencian town of El Puig, was staffed by expert South American drugmakers or ‘chefs’.
The remote drug house had 24-hour protection provided by Moroccan staff who also used the property to grow cannabis.
Meanwhile some 8,500 litres of chemicals needed to produce the narcotic were seized from 10 different properties.
In addition four cars, one van, one motorcycle, a 6mm revolver with a box of 47 cartridges, computer equipment, phones and cash were also taken.
In total 11 arrests were made across six provinces, including Madrid, Malaga, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid and Pontevedra.
The Spanish, Colombian and Albanian suspects are believed to part of a sophisticated criminal gang, who used shipping containers to hide their product.
Cops also intercepted 12 sacks of palm kernel flour, a substance used to smuggle cocaine past border officials and chemical testing.
It is estimated by police that three whole tonnes of cocaine could have been smuggled in this way.
The investigation resulted in the capture of 10 shipping containers carrying cocaine at the Port of Marín in Pontevedra in northwest Spain.
