Six Britons arrested during drugs bust on Costa del Sol

THE Guardia Civil have arrested 11 people, including six Britons, and seized 147 kilos of marihuana, which was headed for the UK.

They also confiscated around €33,470 and £9000 in cash, eight vehicles, and three indoor laboratories dedicated to production of the illegal plant.

The first suspect was detained as he began his drive to Britain in a rental van containing 80 kilos of marihuana, which was concealed in vacuum-sealed bags.

A spokesman for the Guardia Civil in Malaga said: “This criminal group had extreme security measures in place to avoid detection by law enforcement agencies, and were constantly changing drivers and the rental vans they used to transport the drugs.

“The investigation began in January when police became aware of suspicious movement around a property and discovered a gang was growing cannabis there and distributing it to the United Kingdom.

“The drugs were driven to Britain by road, hidden inside rental vans.”

The operation, code-named Monteolivo, is the second raid on British drug gangs in Malaga over the last few weeks.

In March, three Britons were arrested after 28 kilos of marihuana were found hidden inside modified tabletops.