European drugs gang dismantled

The Guardia Civil and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, in collaboration with Europol and the Regional Centre for Analysis and Intelligence against Drug Trafficking (CRAIN) of the Guardia Civil, have exploited the Musketeer/Oveja operation in which they have dismantled a criminal group based in Guadix (Granada) dedicated to the distribution to Central European countries of narcotic substances hidden among bundles of wool, live animals or scrap parts.

Ten people have been arrested as alleged perpetrators of crimes of belonging to a criminal organisation, against public health for drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal possession of weapons and electricity fraud.

In addition, 1,147 kilos of hashish, 755 kilos of marijuana and two pistols have been seized. 13 house searches have been carried out in the Granada towns of Guadix, Benalúa de Guadix, Alquife, Atarfe, Belicena, Pinos Puente and Calicasas, and in the Cadiz towns of Algodonales and Bornos. As a result of these actions, almost 36,000 euro in cash, 13 mobile phones, precision scales, vacuum packaging machines and documentation have been seized.

Seven bank accounts have also been preventively blocked and the preventive annotation of seizure of seven real estate and 21 vehicles has been carried out.

The operation began after French customs agents controlled a truck from Spain in July 2022 and located a shipment of marijuana and hashish hidden among the bundles of wool it was carrying.

French agents contacted their namesakes in Spain to inform them of the apprehension. The Guardia Civil in Granada and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and coincided in the investigation of a suspect, a resident of Guadix.

When the operation began to take its first steps, there was an accident involving a small plane linked to an international transport of narcotics in the vicinity of Larache (Morocco), where the pilot escaped unharmed and fled with the drugs. Investigators have found out that it was picked up by a member of the now disbanded organisation. The Beechcraft brand Musketeer plane gave its name to the Guardia Civil operation. After this incident in the neighbouring country, it was possible to focus the objectives and international connections of the organisation.

As the investigation progressed, it was discovered that the organisation used trucks from companies linked to the transport of live animals for the trafficking of narcotic substances. They hid the drugs in false bottoms, sometimes camouflaged among sheep and other times inside bundles of wool.

After several apprehensions, the pressure on the organisation caused the criminals to radically change their method of concealment and began to send the drug in large wooden boxes with false bottoms that contained scrap parts.

However, investigators managed to seize two other shipments of hashish and marijuana. In one of these actions, a 7.65 mm calibre pistol was seized.

After identifying all the components of the criminal network and once the investigation phase was completed, authorisation was requested from the competent judge to carry out 13 house searches in the provinces of Granada and Cádiz. As a result, 10 people were arrested, almost 36,000 euro were seized and bank accounts and properties worth more than one million euro were blocked.

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