The alleged members of a cocaine ´super-cartel´ have been arrested as part of a multinational investigation spanning Europe and Dubai
Police have smashed a huge drugs “super-cartel” that allegedly controlled around a third of Europe’s cocaine trade. The raids resulted in the arrests of 49 people in various countries.
According to the European Crime Agency (Europol), six chief suspects were detained by police in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The European Union’s police agency said in a statement that as part of the operation codenamed “Desert Light”, 30 tonnes of the drug was seized, which led to arrests in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain.
Europol said, “The drugpins, considered as high-value targets by Europol, had come together to form what was known as a ‘super cartel’ which controlled around one-third of the cocaine trade in Europe.
A spokesperson for Europol said, “The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was massive and over 30 tonnes of drugs were seized by law enforcement over the course of the investigations.”
“These arrests are the culmination of parallel investigations run in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UAE with the support of Europol into the activities of this prolific criminal network involved in large-scale drugs trafficking and money laundering.
The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was massive and over 30 tonnes of drugs were seized by law enforcement over the course of the investigations.
This coordinated clampdown sends a strong message to criminals seeking sanctuary from law enforcement.”
Please remember to check back for updates on this ongoing story.
