THE HAGUE, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- An international operation led by the Spanish Guardia Civil, and supported by Europol and Eurojust, has resulted in the dismantling of an international criminal organization dedicated to large-scale cocaine trafficking and money laundering, Europol announced on Friday.
In total, 40 suspects were arrested in Spain, Morocco and Germany, and more than 13 million euros (15.33 million U.S. dollars) in cash with almost 4 tonnes of cocaine worth more than 103 million euros in the Spanish market were seized.
The investigation began in 2016 when the Spanish Guardia Civil detected the existence of a group trafficking drugs in sailing boats from the Spanish city of Denia. Investigators intercepted one of these sailing boats containing 400 kg of cocaine at the Port of Cadiz in southern Spain.
Further investigations revealed the existence of an international criminal group dedicated to large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering that was being managed from Venezuela by a Spaniard who is currently wanted under an international search and arrest warrant. The group had established two large criminal structures in Spain.
Europol has supported this operation since May 2016 by providing analytical and operational support to all involved member states. (1 euro = 1.18 dollars)
