Alex Trelinski
THE POLICIA NACIONAL have arrested a fugitive in Jerez de la Frontera who led a criminal organisation that trafficked drugs via helicopters.
The unnamed man had five warrants out against him from different national courts and moved between Portugal, Cadiz and rural areas of Huelva using false identities and documentation.
His gang has been based in Cadiz province since 2014 and distributed hashish across Europe.
Police investigations into the man started in 2021 when officers learned he controlled a criminal structure that operated in several countries.
Due to the international dimension of the investigation, a European Arrest Warrant was requested by the Policia Nacional.
Portuguese colleagues confirmed that he hopped between the border of Spain and Portugal, and he was tracked down to a temporary address in Jerez where he was detained.
Details of the extent of his activities have not yet been disclosed but police said he controlled everything including access to a helicopter that crashed in the Malaga province town of Gaucin in 2015, killing both occupants.
900 kilos of hashish was seized after the accident.
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