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ARCHIVE - A Policia Nacional patrol car parked in front of the Prado. Photo: Jan Woitas/dpa
Keystone
The Spanish police have struck spectacular blows against the international cocaine mafia in Madrid and the luxury seaside resort of Marbella within a short space of time.
In "Spanish Saint Tropez" on the Costa del Sol, an international gang with links to the Dutch-Moroccan "Mocro Mafia" was broken up, the police announced. Five people were arrested and 873 kilograms of cocaine were confiscated.
In another operation by the Policía Nacional, Hells Angels rocker Michael M., who is wanted by the USA for murder and drug trafficking, was arrested in Madrid.
The 36-year-old New Zealander was arrested at a highway exit after a party of the rocker gang in Spain. He had been wanted by the judiciary in Texas for two years on an international arrest warrant and was now to be extradited, it was reported.
20,000 US dollars for the murder of a rival
The man is allegedly involved in the purchase of several hundred kilograms of cocaine and other drugs. He is also accused of having paid 20,000 US dollars for the murder of a rival.
He would have had to stand trial in the USA, but went into hiding and was also believed to be in Slovakia and France with false documents.
Meanwhile, the gang unearthed in Marbella is said to have repeatedly smuggled large quantities of cocaine by container ship from Ecuador to Spain via the port of Algeciras.
According to the police, the arrests were made in the parking garage of a shopping center as the suspects were unloading the drugs into a van. In addition to cocaine, cash, cell phones and luxury vehicles were seized.
International arrest warrants have been issued for three other suspected members of the group, it was reported.
Spain becomes new European "gateway" for cocaine
According to the authorities, Spain is increasingly becoming the new and most important gateway for the cocaine mafia in Europe. In Germany's most popular vacation destination, the amount of cocaine seized in 2023 doubled compared to the previous year to 118 tons, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Just five years ago, the figure was 37 tons. Figures for 2024 are not yet available, but a further significant increase is considered certain after several spectacular seizures in recent months.
07.03.2025, 12:28
