Operation of the Tax Agency, National Police and Civil Guard

• The drugs were hidden in a large aluminum sarcophagus inside the container and among more than 19 tons of scrap metal.

• Eight people have been arrested in an operation that took place simultaneously in six judicial districts in three Andalusian provinces.

October 30, 2023.- Customs Surveillance Officials from the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with agents from the National Police and the Civil Guard, have seized 720 kilos of cocaine in the inside a container that arrived at the port of Malaga at the end of last September from Costa Rica.

The drugs were arranged in rectangular packages of 1.2 kilos and hidden in a metal box that, in turn, had been placed among rubble and aluminum waste that weighed more than 19 tons. Eight people have been arrested, including several individuals known for their relationship with organized crime and drug trafficking. In fact, two of them had already been arrested and convicted for similar events in the port of Algeciras in 2018.

The investigations began after investigators learned of the existence of an organization based in Campo de Gibraltar that would be introducing large quantities of cocaine hidden in scrap metal. The acting forces subjected the organization to close surveillance over several months, adopting different investigative measures authorized by the Mixed Court number 3 of San Roque (Cádiz).

The study and analysis of the actions focused on an exporting company in Costa Rica that had been the subject of investigation in previous years for its links to cocaine trafficking through containers.

When it was learned of the arrival of new containers at the port of Malaga at the end of September, investigations indicated that narcotic substances could be hidden in some of them, so the agents carried out complete monitoring of them.

It was last October 9 when, after an exhaustive check on several containers leaving the port of Malaga, one of them deviated from its scheduled route, entering a farm near a wooded area that is difficult to monitor in the Cadiz town of Alcalá de los Gazules.

This maneuver made those responsible for the investigation suspicious, which is why the ship where the container was located was entered and searched.

Once the container was unloaded, a large metal box was observed among the scrap metal, which hid 720 kilos of cocaine inside. Simultaneously, eight of those involved in the operation were arrested and nine home searches were carried out where cash, a Civil Guard uniform, a frequency detector and two high-end watches were seized. of various computer equipment and documentation.

For the development of the action, members of specialized GOIT groups also participated. of the National Police and the GAR of the Civil Guard.

The investigations carried out by the researchers made it possible to verify ramifications of this plot on the Tropical Coast of Granada, specifically in the towns of Motril and Almuñécar.

The operation has been directed by the Mixed Investigative Court No. 3 of San Roque (Cádiz) and carried out by Customs Surveillance groups of the Malaga Tax Agency, investigators from the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO), as well as as well as the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) and the Marbella Narcotics Unit of the National Police.