48 Arrested in the International Bust of the Cocaine Gang

A major cocaine smuggling operation, which uses a network of speed boats to transport drugs from South America to the Canary Islands, has been downloaded, police said.

Almost four tonnes of cocaine, traffic to traffic from Brazil and Colombia, were seized and 48 suspects arrested in attacks through Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote.

The Spanish Policia Nacional said the gang used 11 so -called Narco boats to smuggle drugs across the Atlantic in a complex operation, including the use of an abandoned wreck in the sea as a platform for charging.

Police forces from Europe, the United Kingdom, South America and the United States participated in the raiding planning called the Black Shadow operation.

The National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom (NCA) has confirmed that a British citizen is among the arrested.

Europol said the gang used motor boats “repeatedly, diverting from strategic points in the Atlantic to mother to mother, transporting cocaine.”

Investigators have revealed that the gang has used a “sophisticated encrypted communication system to avoid law enforcement, including the use of satellite terminals, it is difficult to monitor phones and coded tongue.”

Police said raids were months in planning and saw 29 searched properties, 69 seized vehicles – including boats and jet skiing – and money and firearms were restored.

Details of raids shine light on the complexity of Networks drug smuggling gangs to put drugs in Europe, a major cartel market based in South America.

Spanish police said the operation “dismantled one of the largest criminal organizations dedicated to cocaine traffic.”

The force also said it has identified a local network of the Canary Islands responsible for the spread of cocaine after arriving from South America.

Shots from the raids published by the Spanish police showed armed and masked officers, invading several houses, arresting suspects and searching.

This is not the first time police have captured a large amount of cocaine bound to the Canary Islands, Spanish territory and a popular tourist destination, located about 100 km (62 miles) near the West African coast.

Police announced in December that they had captured Venezuela’s fishing boat 1,000 miles out into the sea.

It was found that the ship – which was so destroyed that it was sunk while it was drawn ashore – carried 3.3 tonnes of cocaine.

Commenting on the latter, a NCA spokesman said: “Along with our international partners, we are ruthless in our efforts to deal with drug trafficking across borders, ensuring that it has been seized before it reaches the UK crime chain.”