720 kilos of cocaine seized hidden in a container of scrap metal from Costa Rica
Operation of the Tax Agency, National Police and Civil Guard
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The drug was hidden in a large aluminum sarcophagus inside the container and among more than 19 tons of scrap metal.
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Eight people have been arrested in an operation that has been carried out simultaneously in six judicial districts of three Andalusian provinces
October 30, 2023.- Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard, have seized 720 kilos of cocaine 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 which, in turn, had been placed among rubble and aluminum waste weighing more than 19 tons. Eight people have been arrested, including several individuals known for their links to organised crime and drug trafficking. In fact, two of them had already been arrested and convicted for similar incidents in the port of Algeciras in 2018.
The investigations began after the investigators became aware of the existence of an organisation based in Campo de Gibraltar that was allegedly smuggling large quantities of cocaine hidden in scrap metal. The acting forces placed the organisation under close surveillance for several months, adopting various investigative measures authorised by the Mixed Court number 3 of San Roque (Cádiz).
The study and analysis of the actions focused on a Costa Rican export company that had been the subject of investigation in previous years for its links to cocaine trafficking via containers.
When it became known that new containers had arrived 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 a complete monitoring of them.
It was last October 9 when, after an exhaustive control of 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 aroused suspicion among those responsible for the investigation, which is why they proceeded to enter and search the warehouse where the container was located.
Once the container was unloaded, a large metal box was observed among the scrap metal, which contained 720 kilos of cocaine. Eight of those involved in the operation were arrested simultaneously and nine house searches were carried out, where cash, a Civil Guard uniform, a frequency detector and two high-end watches were seized, as well as various computer equipment and documentation.
For the development of the performance, the participation of personnel from specialized GOIT groups was also counted on. of the National Police and the GAR of the Civil Guard.
The investigations carried out by the investigators made it possible to confirm the ramifications of this plot on the Costa Tropical of Granada, specifically in the towns of Motril and Almuñécar.
The operation was directed by the Mixed Court of Instruction No. 3 of San Roque (Cádiz) and carried out by Customs Surveillance groups of the Malaga Tax Agency, investigators from the Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard (UCO), as well as the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) and the Narcotics Unit of Marbella of the National Police.
Operation filming (to download the video, enter the following web address):