This is the moment an international drug-trafficking gang was dismantled after allegedly laundering millions of euros into property in Marbella.

A joint investigation by the Policia Nacional, Guardia Civil and Europol resulted in 27 arrests.

Some 14 suspects were detained in Madrid, two in Malaga province, four in Ibiza, one in Pontevedra, three in Almeria, two in Leon and one in the Dominican Republic.

They are being investigated for drug trafficking, money laundering and membership of a criminal organisation.

Officers carried out 38 searches in Spain and the Dominican Republic, seizing 40 high-end vehicles, two boats and six firearms, including a military-grade weapon.

Authorities also confiscated cryptocurrency worth more than $1.3million, over €270,000 in cash, more than 76,000 Moroccan dirhams and upwards of $1,000.

Cocaine shipped from South America

The investigation began in September 2023 after officers analysed data from encrypted messaging platforms.

It exposed a group allegedly responsible for shipping cocaine from South America to Europe and linked its members to four hauls intercepted in Panama containing a combined 1.5 tonnes of the drug.

Investigators later identified a Spanish branch led by prominent figures in international drug trafficking with considerable financial resources.

Police believe the organisation established routes between 2020 and 2021 to import cocaine from Colombia and Panama in shipping containers.

The smugglers allegedly used methods including the ‘rip-on/rip-off’ technique, in which drugs are inserted into legitimate cargo without the exporter or importer necessarily being aware.

The system allowed them to supply major criminal organisations based in Spain continuously, investigators said.

Millions channelled into Marbella property

The alleged proceeds were funnelled into Spain’s property market through an elaborate network of companies.

Investigators claim millions of euros were channelled through real-estate development firms and invested in complete developments, residential complexes and luxury homes, particularly in Marbella, Ibiza and Madrid.

The structure allegedly concealed the true owners of the properties while converting proceeds from cocaine trafficking into apparently legitimate assets.

Authorities have now imposed restrictions preventing the sale or transfer of 70 properties and 16 luxury villas connected to the investigation.

‘Money laundering as a service’

Investigators believe the network became so effective at laundering money that it began offering the same service to other drug-trafficking groups.

Through its corporate structure, the organisation allegedly helped third parties acquire and conceal assets under a model described by investigators as ‘crime as a service’.

This provided two streams of income: profits from importing cocaine and commissions charged to other criminal organisations for laundering their money.

International cooperation also led officers to locate and arrest one of the alleged leaders at a luxury villa in the Dominican Republic.

Five international arrest warrants have been issued, and investigators have warned that further raids and arrests remain possible.