Officers of the National Police, the Guardia Civil and the Tax Office, coordinated by the Centre for Intelligence against Organised Crime, broke up a criminal organisation smuggling large amounts of hashish into Spain and on to other European countries and North Africa, arresting 25 people including its leaders in Melilla, Málaga and Murcia.[1] The network ran cells in Melilla, Málaga, Lorca in Murcia, Algeciras and Alicante that handled boats, storage and distribution of hashish bound for Spain, France, Germany and Libya.[1]
In international waters about 100 miles off Algeria, the Guardia Civil’s Maritime Service, with air support and the Tax Office’s Customs Surveillance service, boarded two yachts.[1] A 14-metre yacht that had sailed from the Almerimar marina in Almería under a false German flag carried 950 kilos of hashish, and a 17-metre yacht that had sailed from the Mazarrón marina in Murcia under a Spanish flag carried 4,000 kilos.[1] Officers also found over 200 kilos in a safe house in Villanueva de la Concepción, Málaga, for onward distribution.[1]
More than five and a half tonnes
In total more than five and a half tonnes of hashish were confiscated, along with cars, a yacht, a pleasure craft and five inflatable boats with their engines, three short firearms, cash, telephones, computers and documents now under study.[1]
