A drug-trafficking gang has been brought down after smuggling millions of euros worth of cocaine from the Costa del Sol to Britain.
Five people have been arrested and 2.28 tonnes of the drug seized as part of Operation Levi-Lobera.
The investigation unearthed a criminal organisation based in Fuengirola that used heavy goods vehicles to shift cocaine from the shores of southern Spain to wider Europe, primarily the UK and the Netherlands.
The investigation began in March, after officers detected plans to move a large shipment of cocaine from Fuengirola to the Netherlands concealed inside a freight lorry.
A joint task force was then set up between the Policia Nacional and the Guardia Civil, allowing officers to track multiple consignments linked to the group.
The five people arrested are of Spanish, Polish and Moroccan nationality.
The first shipment was intercepted in France, where customs officers discovered 826kg of cocaine hidden inside a lorry and arrested one suspect. Shortly afterwards, a second vehicle was located in Barcelona, carrying a further 500kg of the drug.
In the following months, police seized a road shipment to the UK containing 200kg of cocaine, and the discovery of a stash house in British territory, where officers seized another 180kg before the drugs could be distributed.
The investigation returned to Malaga province in May, when officers detected a shipment brought in by high-speed boats along the Marbella coastline.
This led to the discovery of another drug stash in Mijas. When police arrived to search the property, those inside allegedly set fire to the house after realising officers were present.
The fire was brought under control, two people were assisted, and both were arrested at the scene.
Inside the property, officers seized 520kg of cocaine, several stolen vehicles, and a submachine gun with a large quantity of ammunition.
The operation concluded in August with multiple searches in Mijas, identified as the base of the organisation’s core members.
According to investigators, the operation has dismantled one of the main cocaine trafficking networks linked to the Costa del Sol, with the seizure of numerous lorries, vehicles fitted with hidden compartments, stolen cars and an MP15 submachine gun.
All suspects have been placed at the disposal of the courts on charges of drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and belonging to a criminal organisation.
