MADRID: Nine Brits are among 22 people arrested in raids across the UK and Spain as police claim they have broken up a major smuggling ring.
According to Spanish police the gang came to the UK to steal vehicles, take them back to Barcelona to “cool off”, before filling them with marijuana and cocaine and driving them back to Britain.
“Each time a car was driven back to Britain, it would carry around 100 kilos of drugs,” said a spokesman for Spain’s National Police.
So far, 22 people have been arrested in Spain and the UK and a fleet of 36 vehicles seized. Officers have also seized 53 kilos of skunk cannabis, 346 plants and 2,800 marijuana cuttings; 128 kilos of hash, more than 2kg of cocaine and 1,100 grams of amphetamine.
They also found £21,400 and 99,000 Euros in cash. Six of the 22 suspects were arrested in the UK, the rest in Spain, including in Alicante, Malaga and Barcelona.
At least nine members of the drugs gang are Brits, while the majority are Spanish.Police claim the group had bases in Britain to help plan the smuggling missions. The joint operation involved Spain’s National Police, Civil Guard and the National Crime Agency, as well as the British and Merseyside Police.
Most of the cars stolen to order in the UK were luxury models, with the drugs being distributed in various hiding places. Many of the vehicles were later sold in Portugal and Italy.
