Authorities dismantle massive drug trafficking network active in the Netherlands, Morocco and Melilla

Joint investigations between the Spanish police and the Civil Guard in Melilla led to the dismantling of a huge international cocaine smuggling network, transporting drugs from the Netherlands to Morocco via Melilla.

Interventions in this case resulted in the arrest of 21 people on charges of crimes against public health, forgery of documents and belonging to a criminal organization, and the confiscation of approximately 59 kilograms of cocaine and 186 kilograms of hashish, as well as seizures valued at more than 3.6 million euros.

Also seized, during the same operation, were up to half a million euros in cash, 38 cars, property and real estate worth 653,500 euros, 49 bank accounts, several electronic items, the latest cell phones, items and materials for preparing drugs, a stun gun, among other things.

Others are set up on behalf of third parties to evade justice.

Regarding the details of the discovery of the activity of this organization, a statement from the Spanish Civil Guard confirmed that the investigation into the case began after the discovery of 15 kilograms of high-quality cocaine in a false bottom in the trunk of a car, whose owner tried to enter Melilla through the port.

They added that by uncovering the threads of this attempt, the organization was discovered that operates with two structures, one of which is dedicated to smuggling hashish by sea from Morocco via jet or recreational boats to support the second structure financially to finance the acquisition of cocaine from the Netherlands and Barcelona to transport it to Morocco via Melilla.

This criminal network is led by two brothers, one of whom works from Morocco and the other from Granada, Spain.

He is wanted by Morocco under an international search warrant for his leadership of a drug trafficking organization.

The network’s activity is distributed, according to the interventions carried out by the Spanish authorities, in separate homes in Melilla and Granada, and in Barcelona cities such as Martorell, Ruby, Terrassa and Gelida, where two cocaine laboratories were dismantled, where shipments are received, cut, weighed and packed.