As part of a joint operation, the Guardia Civil and the National Police have dismantled two criminal organisations dedicated to drug trafficking between the mainland and the Canary Islands. The organisation was formed by a family clan of Colombian origin.
The investigation began in April 2022 when police detected the gang had returned to criminal activity as they had a history of similar events. They organised shipments of cocaine from South America to different airports on the peninsula through human couriers.
Human couriers
Once the organisation had the drugs at the main airports, they then distributed it throughout Spain. For transport to the Canary Islands, they used another group originating in the Islands and whose main members were settled on the island of Gran Canaria.
This second organisation carried out the transport of the drugs to the Canary Islands. For this, they used both human couriers by air, as well as modified vehicles with cavities manufactured to hide the drugs. This made it possible to travel by sea between the mainland and the islands. Moreover, the criminal network had more than 30 vehicles at their disposal.
Seized in Gran Canaria and Tenerife
As a result of the investigation, during the months of June and July, the first two interventions were carried out. Then over 5 and 12 kilograms of cocaine were seized in Gran Canaria and Tenerife respectively. In these actions, two of the main members of the gang and a historic drug trafficker from Tenerife were arrested.
Other interventions were made at the beginning of December with the arrest at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport of two people. They acted as human couriers carrying more than 17 and 4 kilograms of high-purity cocaine. The first arrest was made upon arrival from South America and the second when he was preparing to travel to the Canary Islands.
In January of this year, the fifth and last intervention was carried out. This time it was at La Luz dock in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. More than 14 kilograms of cocaine were seized as one of the gang members was transporting it (hidden in a vehicle) by sea from Huelva.
As a direct consequence of this action, the operation was exploited with seven registers in the provinces of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Madrid, Toledo, and Malaga.
12 arrests
Both organisations have been dismantled with a total of 12 arrests and the seizure of 54 kilograms of cocaine, five modified vehicles with cavities prepared for the transport of substances and more than €75,000 in cash.
The investigation was carried out by agents of the Organised Crime and Anti-Drug Team (EDOA) of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Group 41 of the Central Narcotics Brigade of the National Police Corps and the Drug and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO), under the protection of the Investigating Court No. 4 of Granadilla de Abona in coordination with the Special Anti-drug Prosecutor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
