• Canary Islands 1,200 kilos of cocaine intervene in a sailboat and arrest its two crew members

The National Police reported this Monday of an operation in collaboration with several countries that has made it possible to launch a "frontal attack" against the

Balkan

cartel

, dismantling "the largest cocaine distribution network in

Europe

" thanks to international investigations after the intervention in

Atlantic

waters

of a sailboat loaded with this illicit substance.

The 'Musala' operation coordinated by the National Court after a three-year investigation has allowed the dismantling of a complex network by making 61 arrests --13 of them in Spain - and seizing 4,010 kilograms of cocaine and more than 600,000 euros.

"The message that I would like to highlight is that these networks are going to come to Spain and we are going to pursue them, they are not going to settle comfortably, international collaboration is not an option, it is a necessity," the curator explained at a press conference Antonio Martínez Duarte, chief of the Central Narcotics Brigade of UDYCO.

The operation has been developed by the National Police in conjunction with the police authorities of Germany, Colombia, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, also with the participation of EUROPOL.

In Spain, interventions have been carried out simultaneously in the provinces of Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Malaga, Tarragona, Gerona and Valencia, within an investigation coordinated by the Central Court number 6 of the National Court, which decreed the entry into prison for all arrested.

The dismantled organization sought to carry out a drug trafficking operation from South America to Europe.

In this context, EUROPOL activated an exclusive operation to dismantle this criminal group, which made it possible to detect the presence of various members of the Balkan cartel in different countries.

This criminal organization was composed mainly of subjects from Eastern European countries, originating mainly from Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro.

The main characteristic of the investigated group was its "important economic muscle and its lack of roots", which allowed all its members to settle in different countries of the world, make trips to hold meetings and encounters and enjoy a standard of living within the reach of few persons.

Laundering in Colombian football

It was possible to verify, thanks to the work carried out in Colombia by DIPOL, how they were related to the world of football.

Through the sale of certain players, the trail of the laundering of the profits they obtained from drug trafficking was followed, according to what the police officers have exposed.

The police investigations began in 2018, when a sailboat was detained in which two Croatian nationals and one American were traveling.

That boat was boarded by GEO, the Special Operations Group of the National Police, whose agents intervened 1.4 tons of cocaine that at that time was being transported inside.

At the end of 2019, one of the most important members of the organization was detected again in Spain to carry out the preparation of a new criminal enterprise.

The efforts focused on a Montenegrin who represented a powerful associated criminal organization or the main organizations operating from the eastern countries, specifically the Balkan cartel.

Weapons seized on alleged drug traffickers David FernándezEFE

This cartel constituted a real threat to the security of eastern countries, according to the National Police, being considered by the European authorities as one of the most important criminal organizations operating in Europe, characterized by integrating paramilitary members among its ranks and dedicating itself to the execution of a multitude of crimes, mainly drug trafficking, theft of homes and vehicles, money laundering, extortion and kidnappings.

Maritime operations aborted

The person involved from Montenegro established his base of operations temporarily in Malaga, although he frequently traveled to the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona, ​​without forgetting that he traveled to Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia, among other countries.

Police action has been slowing down any attempt to introduce drugs, including activities during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the middle of last year, they tried to carry out a drug transfer from the Colombian coast to a boat.

The action of the American authorities allowed the intervention of 1,350 kilograms of cocaine.

At the end of 2020 they launched a new maritime operation.

This time they would transport an approximate amount of 1,250 kilograms of cocaine, which would travel from the coasts of Brazil to Spain, specifically Catalonia, where they intended to introduce that significant amount of drug.

The meetings were held in Dubai, among other places.

In addition to the 61 arrests and 4,010 kilograms of cocaine seized, the police operation has resulted in the intervention of 2,569 kilograms of marijuana, 173 kilograms of hashish, 12.5 kilograms of heroin, 30 liters of amphetamine, and more than 6 million euros cash.

Nine high-end vehicles, five motorcycles, a firearm and 300 cartridges, a simulated weapon, an identification plate of the Montenegrin police service, various knives, computer and telecommunications equipment, camera detectors, inhibitors have also been seized. frequency and multitude of documentation related to the organization's companies.

The exploitation has culminated, according to the Police, with the dismantling of one of the most active branches of the Balkan Cartel, attacking its logistical and financial apparatus, beheading its leaders and undermining its future operational capabilities.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Drug trafficking

  • National Police

  • Europe

  • Spain

  • Montenegro

  • Catalonia

  • Serbia

  • Malaga

  • Madrid

  • Slovenia

  • Colombia

  • Croatia

  • National audience

  • Brazil

  • Coronavirus

  • Hungary

  • Valencia

  • Tarragona

  • Germany

  • Kidnappings

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