The Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to introducing large amounts of cocaine from South America through the port of Algeciras. 13 people have been arrested for trying to introduce large amounts of cocaine hidden in banana containers.
Within the framework of Operation Squid, more than 6.5 tons of cocaine have been seized after the search of several homes in Algeciras, Málaga and Castellar de la Frontera (Cádiz), as well as two industrial warehouses in Algeciras and Antequera (Málaga).
Likewise, around one and a half million euro in cash and different vehicles have also been seized. In the searches, watches of high economic value and a large number of electronic devices used by the organisation have been found in order to hinder a possible police investigation.
The operation began last October 2022 when investigators detected a criminal organisation, whose head is considered one of the main cocaine drug traffickers in Spain based in Malaga. His lieutenant in Campo de Gibraltar belonged to a well-known family that resides in the town of Castellar de la Frontera and used a wholesale frozen fish company in Algeciras to mask the income obtained from his illegal activity.
The organisation introduced large quantities of cocaine via sea containers from South America. In order to safely introduce cocaine shipments, they tried to obtain the collusion of public officials.
The modus operandi consisted of transporting consignments of cocaine in banana containers, coming from Colombia and Ecuador, to the port of Algeciras. Once it was extracted from the port facilities and on its way to the legal destination, it was diverted to a nursery ship where the pallets containing the cocaine were replaced by identical ones with legal merchandise of bananas.
In December, the organisation used a banana container that left from the port of Turbo (Colombia) with its final destination Algeciras. However, during the transit of the ship in the port of Cartagena (Colombia), the container was inspected by the authorities of that country, seizing a total of 3,000 cocaine pills of approximately one kilo each.
In a second attempt, the drug traffickers tried to send a second consignment of cocaine from the port of Cartagena (Colombia) to the port of Vigo. The organisation’s intention was to extract the cocaine once the container arrived at the port of Algeciras and was transferred to a nursery ship in the vicinity of it. This second shipment was once again frustrated by the Colombian authorities, seizing 1,250 kilograms of the same substance in the port of Cartagena (Colombia).
During the month of May, with more than four tons of cocaine seized by the police authorities, the organisation insisted on introducing the cocaine through the port of Algeciras.
This time they shipped cocaine from the port of Guayaquil (Ecuador) to avoid another possible seizure in Colombia. When the container manages to reach Algeciras, the investigators verified how a truck driver, belonging to the organisation, extracted the container in question and left the port area, heading towards a warehouse located in an industrial estate in Antequera (Málaga).
Before the illegal merchandise was unloaded, the agents entered the aforementioned ship where they seized a total of 2,296 kilograms of cocaine, hidden among banana pallets and arrested seven people.
The investigators also made several entries and searches at the homes of the main members of the organization, where around one and a half million euro in cash, different high-end vehicles, watches of high economic value, as well as a large amount of electronic devices used by the organisation in order to hinder a possible police investigation.
As a result of this operation, more than 6,500 kilograms of cocaine have been seized, whose value in the illicit market amounts to more than 233 million euro, and almost one and a half million eurs in cash.
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