DrugsNews

Dismantled in Malaga a criminal network of French origin dedicated to international drug trafficking

Spanish agents have arrested 14 people for their alleged involvement in the events and have intervened 9 high-powered vehicles that had been stolen

The network transported drugs in high-end cars – through the modus operandi known as Go Fast – crossing the peninsula quickly to their destination

120 kilograms of marijuana in buds, 709 marijuana plants, more than 3 kilograms of hashish have been seized and 142,475 euros in cash have been seized, an assault rifle, two submachine guns, five pistols, a revolver, a long gun, ammunition of different caliber, fake number plates and useful for weighing and packaging substances

Agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard, within the framework of the Koda / Montre operation, have dismantled a criminal organization, of French origin, allegedly dedicated to drug trafficking through the Go Fast procedure – crossing the peninsula quickly to its destination.

During this operation against the trafficking of narcotic substances, developed in three phases, 142,475 euros in cash have been intervened, 9 stolen vehicles, an assault rifle, two submachine guns, five pistols, a revolver, a long weapon, ammunition of different caliber, False license plates and useful for weighing and packaging substances. A total of 14 people of different nationalities – ten of them French, two Italians, one Spanish and one Belgian – have been arrested for their alleged responsibility in the events in Malaga (8), Cádiz (3) and Barcelona (3).

They transported the drug through the Go Fast system

This joint investigation began when the agents detected a network of French citizens, settled in the province of Malaga, who were transporting significant amounts of drugs with the Go Fast system. Likewise, the investigators verified that this criminal organization had an important logistical infrastructure of “nurseries” and security houses where they stored hashish and marijuana. Its members make constant trips to France, also having a stable infrastructure in the Catalan autonomous community.

They rented real estate for “nurseries”

The organization was dedicated to the intensive cultivation of marijuana on farms in sparsely inhabited areas, as well as the acquisition and stockpiling of large consignments of drugs from other suppliers. For storage, they rented properties in different parts of the province of Malaga, in addition to having secondary “nurseries” in Barcelona and Gerona that they used while waiting for their final transport to third countries.

To carry out this criminal activity, they used high-end vehicles stolen – mostly abroad – with duplicate license plates to cross the country with drug shipments to their destination in France. In addition, the network used young individuals of French origin, linked to the organization and recruited in marginal environments of the neighboring country, to transport the merchandise. Normally, they circulated in a procession at high speeds, one of the vehicles acting as a shuttle to avoid possible monitoring devices or police controls. They also carried firearms, fire extinguishers and metal caltrops with which to confront the agents of the Security Forces who tried to stop them.

11 searches and 14 detainees

The exploitation of this operation, which took place in three phases from December 2020 to last February, ended with the arrest of 14 people in Malaga (8), Cádiz (3) and Barcelona (3). and the total dismantling of this criminal organization In addition, 11 searches have been carried out in Malaga, Cádiz, Barcelona and Gerona, in which the agents have seized 120 kilograms of marijuana in buds, 709 marijuana plants, more than 3 kilograms of hashish and 142,475 euros in cash have been seized, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, two UZI submachine guns, five pistols, a revolver, a long gun, ammunition of different caliber, false license plates and useful for weighing and packaging substances.

The competent judicial authority has decreed provisional imprisonment for 12 of the 14 detainees.