Spanish authorities are reporting that they successfully broke up a large drug smuggling operation that had been responsible for bringing large amounts of cocaine from Colombia. They described a number of methods, including so-called “monkeys” to get the drugs aboard the containerships, dropping off near Spain, and hijacking vessels and small boats to retrieve the smuggled narcotics.
The investigation involved the National Police, Civil Guard, and Tax Agency, and they reported that it spanned months. Three different organizations were involved in parts of the operation, with links to the Balkan Cartel.
Last summer, the police responded to two containerships that reported stowaways and attempts at hijacking their vessels. In the first case, a vessel bound for Cadiz alerted the Maritime Rescue Service after stowaways were spotted on deck. When the police reached the ship, they believed at least three people tasked with retrieving the drugs made a hasty retreat. The police found 38 bales that had been removed from the containers and were on deck. The ship was taken to Cadiz, where the police reported they confiscated 1,355 kilograms of cocaine.
Another vessel traveling in Portuguese waters also reported that it had discovered stowaways aboard with rifles. They were attempting to commandeer the vessel and successfully offloaded several bales that had been hidden in the containers.
The police later apprehended a car in Malaga in October with 88 kilos of cocaine. That ultimately led them to three organizations, one operating in Colombia and Spain, and another linked to the Balkan Cartel that owned the drugs. They were being supported by a third group based in the Campo de Gibraltar region.
The investigation revealed that the organization was using so-called monkeys, i.e., young people from low-income families, who were good swimmers. They swam the drugs to the containerships and loaded the drugs onto the ships at sea. Members of the same group traveled to Spain to intercept the ships and hijack the containers before they reached the Strait of Gibraltar.
The group sometimes provided high-speed boats used to intercept the containerships. They said the crew from the small boats retrieved drugs that had been dumped overboard into the ocean or used military techniques to break into the containers to retrieve the smuggled cocaine. Sometimes the people on the small boats were subdued.
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The police report that a total of 19 raids were carried out to break up the three rings. They seized 2,475 kilos of cocaine and found weapons used in the operations. They also seized €166,000 in cash, another €100,000 worth of jewelry and watches, eight high-end vehicles, and cans of gasoline. Furthermore, they found various nautical equipment, ladders, and GPS devices. The authorities have also frozen nearly €5 million in real estate assets and four cryptocurrency wallets. They also discovered multiple storage facilities used for the drugs.
A total of 30 people were arrested. The police believe the operation was responsible for smuggling large quantities of cocaine into Spain.