National police have seized 3,500 kilograms of cocaine in two anti-drug operations in the Canary Islands. A joint operation between customs, national police and the Civil Guard led to the seizure of 2,500 kilograms of cocaine being transported on a semi-rigid cabin boat in waters near the Canary Islands, 400 miles west of the archipelago.

A ton of cocaine in a luxury chalet

On the other hand, they captured a ton of cocaine the highest purity in luxury chalet Tenerife, where this is the largest arrest on the islands of a Spanish criminal organization, as reported today Saturday by the National Police Corps.

As part of this operation A total of nine people were arrestedseven of them belonged to this organization, composed of Spanish citizens, in addition to the capture of an important Colombian drug trafficker who acted as a notary of the origin network, and an Italian criminal, a link for the mafia in our country, who was trying to open new markets in Spain.

In addition, eight searches were carried out in Tenerife, Lanzarote, Malaga and Seville, during which nine vehicles, €12,000 in cash, a counting machine, frequency jammers, location devices, a drone and an arsenal of weapons were seized. white.

The operation began several months ago when agents learned of the existence of an organization of Spanish origin, involved in the distribution of cocaine shipments from South America, with branches in the provinces of Malaga and Seville, as well as on the islands of Lanzarote. Tenerife.

Researchers have documented an increase in the organization’s activity through meetings between its core members and other members who came from Malaga. The latter rented a car, and agents were able to see how they entered one of the guarded houses in it, along with a high-end car that served as counter-surveillance.

Suspecting that they might be transporting some kind of narcotic substance, the agents decided to stop them, after which the drivers decided to escape, although they were intercepted and showed great resistance to the actions of the police.

After opening the trunk of the rental car, investigators found four duffel bags with 100 kilograms of cocaine inside. As a result of this discovery, the leaders of the organization were arrested within minutes.

950 kilograms of cocaine in a luxury chalet

In parallel, a search was carried out at a luxury chalet in which 100 kilograms of cocaine were loaded, located in the town of Barranco Hondo, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and two people who were inside and guarding 950 kilograms of cocaine were arrested. captured by agents. To break into this house, the intervention of the GOES was required due to the danger of criminals.

Subsequently, eight new searches were carried out on the islands of Tenerife and Lanzarote, as well as in the provinces of Malaga and Seville, during which nine vehicles, €12,000 in cash, a money counting machine, frequency inhibitors, location devices, a drone and an arsenal were discovered. knives.

Although the defendants tried to hide from the actions of justice, in the end it was possible to achieve the arrest of seven people who made up this organization. In addition, a major Colombian drug trafficker was arrested who, a few days earlier, had traveled to the island of Tenerife as a notary for the manufacturing organization to ensure that the distribution of cocaine was carried out and to collect the agreed upon money. from organizing sales for his superiors. Similarly, an Italian citizen with connections to the mafia of that country was arrested, who moved to Spain to open new markets in our country.

Thanks to this operation, this organization is considered liquidated and a historical cache in the Canary Islands, the largest recorded to date, was captured. Nine detainees were taken into custody.

Boat with 2500 kilograms of cocaine

A joint operation between customs, national police and the Civil Guard led to the seizure of 2,500 kilograms of cocaine being transported on a semi-rigid cabin boat in waters near the Canary Islands, 400 miles west of the archipelago.

In the absence of an official weighing, the Polish-flagged vessel was believed to be carrying 86 bales containing a total of 2,500 kilograms of cocaine, and two people, both of French nationality, who were traveling on it were arrested. As the delegation of the Canary Islands Tax Agency announced this Saturday in a statement.

The drug was distributed throughout the ship without any means of concealing it, leading investigators to believe that the transfer would be made to another ship or ships that would be responsible for delivering the drug to the Iberian Peninsula.

The Tax Department stressed that the operation, which was coordinated by the Intelligence Center for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO), was carried out in difficult weather conditions due to rough seas.

The boat, the drugs seized and the two detainees arrived at the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife this Saturday, where the drugs will be weighed and the two arrested will appear in court.

This operation, the Tax Department emphasized, is part of a set of operations that are being launched to combat drug trafficking along the so-called “Atlantic route” of cocaine, with the transshipment of the drug from America and the Caribbean to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. for its subsequent introduction to the European market.