A drug-trafficking gang has been caught with explosive material capable of causing serious damage to buildings and human life.
The concerning discovery was made by the Policia Nacional in the Axarquia region of the Costa del Sol.
The narcos, based in Velez-Malaga, are accused of dealing and providing logistical support to allied gangs operating across Andalucia.
The police operation has led to three arrests and the seizure of explosive material, weapons, ammunition and drugs, police confirmed on Monday.
The suspects are being investigated for alleged offences including illegal possession of explosives and ammunition, drug trafficking, document fraud and membership of a criminal organisation.
The operation was carried out by officers from the Drugs Squad of the Specialised and Violent Crime Unit (UDEV).
Explosives and drug lab uncovered
The investigation focused on a rural property in Benajarafe, where officers located a storage building that had been converted into the gang’s operational base.
Police said the site was being used simultaneously as a drug dealing point, a laboratory for handling MDMA and cocaine, and a storage facility for fuel canisters intended to supply drug-smuggling boats used by other organisations.
One of the most serious finds was the discovery of three reels of detonating cord and two rolls of slow fuse, for which no legal documentation was provided.
Police estimate the material had a net explosive mass of around nine kilos, capable of causing serious structural damage to buildings and mass casualties, depending on where it is detonated.
How the operation unfolded
The case began after police received intelligence about a suspected drug sales point on the Benajarafe property. Surveillance revealed a constant flow of people, along with repeated movements of fuel containers and chemical products.
In the first phase of the operation, officers arrested one of the main suspects and his partner after stopping their vehicle and finding 86 grams of MDMA hidden inside the spare wheel.
A second phase followed, after investigators suspected the presence of a clandestine drug laboratory on the site.
During a search of the property, police seized 194 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, a precision scale, a dismantled carbine, a silencer, magazines, firearm components and a forged driving licence, among other items. The owner of the property was arrested at that stage.
‘Key logistics hub neutralised’
Police said the operation had eliminated an active drug sales point in Velez-Malaga and dismantled a logistical support hub linked to organised drug trafficking.
Officers noted that this type of activity has increased as police pressure intensifies on maritime smuggling routes in the Strait of Gibraltar and along the Costa del Sol.
The case has been placed before Investigating Court No. 1 in Velez-Malaga, which is overseeing the ongoing proceedings.
Read more Costa del Crime news at the Spanish Eye.
