Walter Finch
SPANISH police have announced a record-breaking drugs haul after seizing over a million ecstasy pills in raids in Ibiza and Malaga.
The sophisticated European smuggling operation saw nine members arrested, including Italian bosses aided by Spanish and Dutch nationals.
The operation, codenamed ‘Adriatic’, culminated in a series of police raids that uncovered a vast stash of drugs hidden in secret compartments of vehicles.
In addition to the massive haul of 1,071,327 ecstasy pills, investigators seized significant quantities of ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, and hashish with a street value of more than €25 million.
They even seized three kilograms of ‘sugar’, a substance used to produce dangerous pink cocaine.
Police called the group ‘one of the main criminal organisations involved in the introduction of synthetic drugs in Spain, which operated in different parts of Europe,’ in a statement.
The investigation revealed that the organisation was using a complex network of mules to transport drugs from the Netherlands to Spain.
Vehicles equipped with hidden compartments were used to smuggle the narcotics past border controls.
A stop and search at the Basque town of Irun revealed a secret stash of 25kg of various synthetic drugs, including MDMA, ketamine, and ecstasy.
From this lead, detectives were able to track down other members of the gang, and even traced them to Malaga, where they had newly set up shop with the hope of expanding into the Costa del Sol.
