Joint operation by the Tax Agency and the National Police

• Four people linked to companies importing containers from South America arrested
• A total of 3,500 kilos of cocaine were seized during the operation.
• 250,000 euros in cash and seven high-end vehicles have been seized

April 9, 2022.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and the National Police, within the framework of the so-called 'Bull' operation, have dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to the introduction of cocaine in large quantities through the port of Algeciras, using for this purpose an extensive business network dedicated to the import of containers from South America, seizing a total of 3,500 kilos of cocaine.

To introduce the drugs, the suspects made use of a previously created large business structure, which mainly included customs and merchandise transport companies. These companies were used to import containers from South America, mainly Ecuador, in order to camouflage large quantities of cocaine among the declared legal merchandise. In this way, they controlled the entire process of introducing drugs into Europe, from importation at source to final distribution in Europe, all through the corporate network they had at their disposal.

During the exploitation phase, a total of four people have been arrested (three of them from the same family), two in Algeciras, one in La Rioja and another in Valencia, all of them linked to the companies under investigation, exercising administrative and management roles in them. In addition, a total of eight searches have been carried out in these cities, including several customs companies, mainly in Algeciras, and provisional imprisonment has been ordered for two of the detainees, accused of drug trafficking, criminal organisation and money laundering.

More than 100 properties of the organization blocked

During the searches, investigators found a total of 250,000 euros in cash, seven high-end vehicles, and a large amount of computer and documentary material related to the criminal activity under investigation. In addition, more than 100 properties, including homes, vehicles and boats, have been blocked, with a total approximate value of five million euros, as well as 27 bank accounts owned by the individuals and legal entities under investigation.

Due to the large quantity of drugs seized and the volume of assets seized, it is considered one of the main blows to large-scale cocaine trafficking through the port of Algeciras, also closing one of the main and most active routes for drug entry into Europe.

The investigation, carried out in the Investigative Court number five of Algeciras, involved the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency in Algeciras, the Local Police Station of Algeciras, and GRECO Campo de Gibraltar. It is not ruled out that further arrests will be made in the coming days.