Spanish police dismantle a vast cocaine trafficking network: 20 arrests
Spanish Police Seize a Ton of Cocaine and Arrest 20 in Major Drug Bust
On Saturday, the Spanish police announced the seizure of one ton of cocaine and the arrest of 20 individuals as part of a crackdown on an organization that was smuggling drugs into containers at the port of Valencia, located in the eastern part of the country.
Seventeen people were apprehended in Spain, with ten placed in provisional custody, while two were arrested in Belgium and one in France, according to a statement from the national police.
As part of the operation, officers executed 11 searches across Spain and Belgium, during which they seized "over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, virtual wallets, two firearms," and eight high-end vehicles, among other items, the same source reported.
The criminal organization is suspected of introducing cocaine into containers arriving at the port of Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, camouflaging the drugs among legal goods without the operator’s knowledge.
According to the Spanish police, the leader of the Belgian branch of the organization, who was hiding in luxury accommodations on the Valencian coast, "was one of the most significant criminals in the country." He had been wanted by the authorities for four years and was the subject of an Interpol red notice.
