A hidden network of underground ‘narco tunnels’ has been discovered in Marbella during a major anti-drug operation.
The raids were carried out in Las Albarizas, a troubled district of the Costa del Sol town, where traffickers have been using subterranean passageways to evade capture and move drugs between properties.
According to the Policia Nacional, the operation unfolded in two phases and targeted a family-run network involved in the sale of cocaine, hashish and marijuana from multiple homes inside the same apartment block.
Officers said the investigation was particularly challenging due to the maze-like underground tunnels linking homes and escape routes throughout the neighbourhood.
During the latest phase of the operation, police arrested eight people and carried out five simultaneous house searches involving judicial police, riot officers, dog units, aerial support and specialist underground teams.
Authorities seized 133 grams of hashish, 111 grams of marijuana, cocaine, pink cocaine known as tussi, knives and more than €2,400 in cash.
Police said the alleged clan operated with military-style organisation, using lookouts positioned on balconies and in surrounding streets to monitor police movements and warn dealers of approaching officers.
Investigators described how drugs were constantly moved between apartments to make seizures more difficult, while different sellers rotated frequently and often did not live in the properties being used for the dealing operation.
More than 40 drug seizure reports were issued in the area during the surveillance phase.
The tunnels, discovered beneath the neighbourhood during the searches, are believed to have been regularly used by suspects to hide drugs and escape from police.
Authorities said the underground network forms part of a wider criminal infrastructure in Las Albarizas, which also includes occupied flats, drug dens and multiple escape routes.
An earlier phase of the operation, carried out at the start of the year, resulted in three arrests after officers uncovered another alleged network operating from behind the gate of a commercial premises.
Police said one woman involved in the operation repeatedly changed clothes throughout the day to avoid surveillance while allegedly helping transport drugs and receive buyers.
The investigation continues.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
