Spanish drug ‘cook’ in hot water

POLICE have arrested a man in Cataluña who allegedly ran a chemical company as a “screen” to hide his drug business.

Two drug laboratories were busted in Torrefarrera (Cataluña) and Monzon (Aragon) during the investigation, and police also detained two more men believed to be involved in the operation.

As well as 700 grams of cocaine and 33 kilos of speed, officers also confiscated notebooks that contained instructions on how to make the drugs and €2,350 in cash.

According to a police spokesperson, the drug traffickers intended to produce about 40 kilograms of narcotics a week.

The main suspect allegedly owned a chemical company which he used as a front to buy the products he needed to manufacture the drugs such as amphetamine sulfate, 33 kilos of which was seized during the raids.

The man, who reportedly produced the drugs single-handedly, was known to be a member of a Catalan crime ring and had registered his chemical company in the social security register in Lleida.  

Another man who was arrested is believed to have helped with the money laundering side of the business and transported the narcotics to be sold across Spain.

Police also seized various tools used to manufacture the substances, including scales, fans, butane gas cylinders and stoves.