Over 50 arrested in Granada cannabis bust

A CRIMINAL gang involved in international drug trafficking has been derailed following a joint operation by the Spanish police and tax agency.

Officers intercepted one of the lorries during the investigation where they discovered cannabis stashed between boxes of fruit and vegetables.

Fifty-one people belonging to the organisation have been arrested for drug trafficking, money laundering, bribery, the illegal possession of weapons and forging documents.

Police seized over 270 kilos of high-quality marijuana, 46 high-end vehicles, a lorry and nearly €500,000 in cash during the investigation.

The confiscated vehicles were reportedly bought by the gang as a means to legalise their drug profits and launder money.

Authorities raided over 23 homes throughout Granada province during the operation and were able to track down and arrest all the gang members.

The police reported that the ringleaders of the organisation were all from the city of Alhendin and belonged to the same family.

The crime ring was involved in several international drug trafficking plots and ran operations in various other European countries.

The gang leaders allegedly concealed the bundles of cannabis among food or appliances in trucks to smuggle them across borders.