John Culatto
FIVE Gibraltarians are among 71 people arrested in raids against suspected hashish smugglers in La Linea.
Property and cash worth more than €35 million has been seized including €500,000 cash, luxury homes, 150 high-end vehicles and bank accounts.
The Gibraltarians arrested are part of the Mauro clan, led by Gareth Mauro, who is believed to have laundered €2 million in hash smuggling profits.
These are all considered to have been used to launder money made from hashish smuggling, according to the Guardia Civil.
The arrests and property taken are part of ‘Operation Domus’ in which 450 officers of the Guardia Civil have taken part.
The first suspicions about Narcoville (Villa de Narcos in Spanish) were raised in autumn 2018.
The Guardia Civil found out that many of the top drug barons were living in the area of El Zabal in La Linea de la Concepcion.
“These homes, with their high walls and security measures, were not registered on any town plan,” said the Guardia Civil.
“It was discovered that they had not been financed by banks and their owners’ legal jobs could not fund such luxury residences.
“The Guardia Civil found that the money laundered was €35,050,900 leading to the searches of 28 homes, 19 of them in El Zabal.”
Elite Guardia agents from the Rapid Action Group (GAR) as well as those from other anti-drug trafficking organisations took part in the raids.
