Walter Finch
A STRAIT of Gibraltar narco gang met their downfall thanks to the Whatsapp group they used to organise their drug trafficking.
The group, named ‘123’ provided the vital evidence that helped convict six drug traffickers who attempted to smuggle half a ton of hashish through Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.
Two ringleaders have been sentenced to four years in prison, while four accomplices received two-year suspended sentences this week, following one of the Guardia Civil’s most significant anti-drug operations in the region.
The gang’s elaborate operation came crashing down in July 2023 when officers intercepted a major drug handover at Sarchal swimming pools, where traffickers were attempting to transfer the hashish to a waiting narco-boat.
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But it was the criminals’ own messages that proved their undoing.
The gang had created a WhatsApp group to coordinate their activities, unwittingly providing investigators with a detailed record of their operation.
“That’s it, boss,” one message read.
“Let us know if you see anything, you have to let us know when they are still far away, my friend,” wrote another in the 123 group early in the morning of July 3.
Messages revealed lookouts warning of Guardia Civil movements: ‘Four patrols, two more coming down,’ and ‘the rubber dinghy is leaving the fish market, guys,’ as they attempted to orchestrate the failed delivery.
The Judicial Police investigation traced the suspects through their mobile phone locations and WhatsApp communications.
While some gang members were arrested at the scene, others were identified through subsequent investigation of the seized phones.
Some suspected members of the operation remain at large, with investigations ongoing to locate those who have so far evaded arrest.
The case highlights how modern communication methods are increasingly being used as evidence against Costa drug gangs, with traffickers’ own digital footprints leading to their convictions.
The operation dismantled a significant smuggling route between North Africa and mainland Spain, where gangs typically use high-powered boats to transport hash and other drugs across the Strait of Gibraltar.
