Alberto Lejarraga
A BRIT and an Irishman have been arrested for allegedly being part of a major Costa del Sol based drug gang that has been dismantled after a two-year police operation.
A Policia Nacional source has told the Olive Press that a 53-year-old British and an Irishman aged 41 are among the 23 members of the criminal organisation that have been arrested.
As part of the operation, led by Europol in collaboration with Spanish and Dutch police, agents have seized over 300 kg of marijuana, 71 kg of hash, 2 kg of MDMA and some cocaine.
Officers have further seized four firearms, 19 vehicles and over €400,000 in cash.
The gang is said to have transported the illegal substances between Spain and other European countries such as Norway, the Netherlands, Ireland and Germany.
The investigation started in October 2021, when agents intercepted a total of six large cocaine containers.
In April 2022, a total of 35 kg of hash found inside a vehicle travelling from Malaga to Norway were seized, followed by the interception of over 160 kg of hash and marijuana between Granada and Germany a month later.
Earlier this year, police seized 45 kg of marijuana in Murcia, over 85 kg of the same drug in Ireland and 36 kg of hash in Granada.
All these interventions made it possible for officers to gain knowledge on the gang’s operations and organisation, conducting searches in a total of 10 flats in Malaga, Tenerife and the Netherlands.
A total of 12 people were arrested during the interventions of the vehicles transporting the drugs while another nine members were detained during the flat searches.
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