Police have seized 1.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden inside cement sacks during a major operation in Marbella.
The joint investigation by the Policia Nacional and Brazil’s Federal Police resulted in five arrests and dealt a significant blow to a criminal organisation linked to the so-called ‘Mocro Maffia’.
According to investigators, the drugs arrived in Spain from Brazil via the port of Algeciras, concealed within a shipment of construction materials.
Once the cargo entered the country, it was transported by road to an industrial warehouse in Marbella, where members of the gang planned to extract the cocaine.
Police managed to locate the warehouse and carried out a raid that led to the discovery of the massive drug haul.
The cocaine had been divided into packages and hidden inside around 1,000 cement sacks.
Each sack was marked with specific symbols that allowed members of the criminal network to identify which ones contained the drugs.
Investigators also uncovered that the trafficking operation used a front company based in Bremen, Germany, to disguise the shipment and give the transport a legitimate appearance.
Authorities believe the group was led by a man with links to the Mocro Maffia who operates between the Netherlands and Dubai.
To recover the drugs once they arrived in Spain, the organisation allegedly sent three men living in Germany to the Costa del Sol.
Their task was to locate the marked sacks and extract the cocaine from the shipment.
The police operation resulted in the arrest of five suspects accused of drug trafficking, belonging to a criminal organisation and fabricating a false crime report.
During the search of the warehouse, officers also seized a vehicle, a high-end mobile phone and €2,240 in cash.
The investigation remains ongoing and authorities have issued two international arrest warrants for other suspected members of the network.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
