The massive-scale regulation enforcement operation led to the arrest of 42 suspects – together with the chief of the gang, who was in Spain below a false identification. As well as, 28 searches had been carried out in varied locations in Granada, Malaga and Seville, each in residences and in drug manufacturing amenities. Six indoor marijuana vegetation had been additionally dismantled.
Basically, the motion resulted in:
- 42 arrests
- 28 searches (20 in Granada, 6 in Málaga, 2 in Seville)
- Seizure of greater than 2 tons of hashish and a number of other portions of different medicine equivalent to cannabis
- Three firearms and a mess of cartridge sizes
- Seizure of a dozen luxurious autos and greater than EUR 100,000 in money
Europol offered regulation enforcement authorities with analytical help to advance the investigation. On the day of the motion, a specialist from Europol's European Critical Organized Crime Heart was deployed to the placement, the place they labored facet by facet with the Spanish, French and Turkish authorities.
Switching from heroin to different medicine
The investigation revealed that the criminals had been specialised in transnational drug trafficking and had been importing medicine into Spain for years, together with heroin, but additionally giant portions of hashish and cannabis. As soon as in Spain, they are going to distribute them all through the EU.
Trafficking of heroin to the EU is at present based mostly on the usage of international container transport and ships departing from Türkiye. It is because the felony networks that dominate the wholesale site visitors of heroin to the European market are primarily from right here.
Investigators consider that the felony community started its hashish site visitors after beginning in heroin. This shift to different medicine was reported within the EU Drug Market Evaluation 2024 report as a possible results of political adjustments in Afghanistan, the principle supply of heroin consumed in Europe. In 2022, the Taliban introduced a drug ban that led to market adjustments, precipitating a lower within the availability of heroin within the EU that would result in market gaps being stuffed by different medicine.
Legislation enforcement authorities concerned:
- France: French Customs (Customs – Finance)
- Spain: Spanish Civil Guard (Guardia Civil)
- Turkey: Counter Narcotics Division of the Turkish Nationwide Police (Türk Polis Teşkilatı)
