Alex Trelinski
A BRITISH drug trafficking gang operating out of southern Alicante province has been arrested by the Guardia Civil.
Two properties in San Miguel de Salinas and the Orihuela Costa were raided, resulting in the detention of three British men and a Romanian woman, aged between 23 and 33 years.
The Guardia operation was launched in February after more than two kilos of marijuana destined for Ireland in two postal packages were intercepted at Madrid airport.
Another shipment was stopped leaving the airport and the Guardia identified the British ringleader as responsible for trying to send the packet along with a Romanian woman based on the Orihuela Costa- both had existing police records for other types of crime.
In March, the Brit got spooked by a Guardia patrol vehicle while he was speaking on a mobile phone at a Madrid area petrol station.
Believing they were about to arrest him, he ran away on foot and clambered over several fences before disappearing close to the high speed rail lines.
Left behind at his van at the station were four suitcases crammed with 54 kilos of marijuana.
Investigators discovered that the fugitive was hiding at a home in San Miguel de Salinas, which was occupied by two other British nationals.
They collaborated in logistical functions of the drug trafficking operations as well as selling narcotics to local buyers.
The house was strongly protected, ‘with security cameras and three dogs classified as potentially dangerous’, the Guardia said in a statement.
READ MORE:
- British gang grew marijuana and ran drugs mail-order service from Costa Blanca area of Spain
- British man with suitcase full of drugs gets caught at Spain’s Valencia Airport
- British man arrested as Costa Blanca marijuana gang shipped drugs from Spain to UK and Dutch customers
