Fiona Govan
SPANISH police have arrested a ‘most-wanted’ international drug trafficker who used proceeds of illicit trade to live a luxury lifestyle of fast cars, private yachts and high-end watches.
The Guardia Civil said that the arrest of Moroccan Fikri Amellah in a dawn raid on his Barcelona apartment on Tuesday followed a two year investigation in collaboration with French and Belgian police.
Dramatic footage released by the Guardia Civil on Friday showed heavily armed officers breaking down doors in Barcelona in the dawn raid and searching a luxury riverside apartment.
Amellah is accused of running one of the largest wholesale hashish operations in Spain and had branched into the more lucrative cocaine trade, the force said in a statement.
He is alleged to have imported some 4.3 tonnes of hashish and 1.8 tonnes of cocaine this year alone.
Officers also seized around €1 million ($1.13 million) in cash, €3 million of jewellery, a watch with a price tag estimated at €80,000 as well as 10 high-end cars.
Another 16 people from the network were detained in Barcelona, Galicia and Andalucia. All but three have been remanded in custody.
