Four arrested in Almeria drug trafficking sting

FOUR individuals have been arrested in Almeria Province after national police dismantled an alleged drug trafficking operation. Police made the arrests after discovering 600 kilogrammes of cocaine in a boat sailing in the direction of Galicia.

According to police, two arrests were made in Almerimar (El Ejido), one in Roquetas de Mar and the other in Adra. Another individual was arrested in Cordoba.

The boat was intercepted by the Grupo Especial de Operaciones (GEO) special police task force as it sailed to the north-east of the Azores. Assisted by the Spanish navy ship Atalaya, the police agents boarded the boat arresting two crew members who are alleged to belong to a Galician gang of drug traffickers whose activities led to another 19 arrests in Pontevedra, Almeria, Cordoba and Badajoz.

Police claim this particular ring attempted to bring in around six tonnes of hashish in the last three months alone until they were intercepted. Police also found around 100 marihuana plants at an address in Galicia.

The police operation began in September 2014 and it is believed that the Galician alleged drug traffickers were involved not just in the transport of hashish from Morocco but also shipped cocaine from South America.