Joint Spanish-UK police operation - 03.09.2010

A HUGE drugs haul, and the British gang involved, have been seized in Ibiza during a joint operation between the Spanish police and a specialist UK crime-buster organisation.

The Guardia Civil and the UK Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) were elated to have rounded up the gang after searching 12 houses.

 

 

In all, 25 people were held as part of Operation Arrow (Operación Flecha), together with 38,000 ecstasy tablets, four kilos of cocaine, 250gms of ketamine, four litres of GHB ( a popular but dangerous club drug), 50gms of crystal MDMA (ecstasy), 1kg of M-CATS (a mix of various drugs; also known as mephedrone) and cash amounting to 56,000 euros.

 

 

The  UK-led gang had two branches in Ibiza - one in charge of establishing contacts on the island and the other responsible for distributing the drugs.

 

 

The Guardia Civil arrested 20 Britons, two Irish people, one Czech, one Slovak and a Spaniard, all alleged to be members of the island’s most active drug organisation.

 

 

They were said to be involved in the distribution of ecstasy tablets and other drugs near nightclubs and other leisure areas.

 

 

The investigation began a year ago following Operation Trafalgar, when the Civil Guard dismantled a British organisation involved in drug trafficking on Ibiza.

 

 

Following analysis of documents and information obtained, SOCA were contacted and worked together with the Guardia Civil to identify the group operating in Ibiza, which was directed from the UK.

 

 

Earlier this summer, the people now under arrest were detected and several surveillance measures were put in place. Police believed they were trying to build the  infrastructure necessary for drug distribution in Ibiza.

 

 

Gang members visited the island regularly to supervise and collect the proceeds.

 

The UK-based drugs group rented several properties on Ibiza, including luxury villas for the ringleaders.

 

 

The dealers, who were put up in apartments in tourist resorts, retained various quantities of drugs for daily distribution, but the bulk of them were kept in secure houses which they did not occupy.

 

 

Young “public relations” people were employed in nightclubs to distribute drugs and ensure similar prices were charged at each point of sale, depending on the time and place.

 

 

The drugs were hidden in UK cars brought on to the island, and in the luggage of British tourists coming into Ibiza airport.

 

 

A major breakthrough came on 8^th August when a young British woman was caught trying to smuggle three kilos of cocaine through the airport.