Axarquia News: Big drug bust in Nerja ends in 26 arrests

The Guardia Civil collaborated with French police to arrest 26 people and locate almost 6,000 kilos of hashish in Nerja. The group of drug traffickers were detained after a plan to steal the drugs from the man guarding the stash went wrong.
The plan was to kill the man who guarded the drugs in a house in Nerja. After stealing the stash, they had planned to make the rest of the organisation believe that the disappeared victim was the traitor. However, the planned theft lacked discretion and ended up coming to the Guardia Civil’s attention.
Investigators put together a big operations team and arrested four people in front of one of the organisation’s houses. The men tried to flee in a vehicle but were stopped by officers, who also arrested a fifth member inside the house. Police found 2,100 kilos of hashish and several French license plates. Communication with the French Gendarmerie allowed 18 people to be stopped and arrested on French soil, including the leaders of the organisation. A further 3,850 kilos of hashish coming from the Costa del Sol were also found in France and two more members were arrested in the province of Malaga.
According to French police sources, the organisation transported big amounts of drugs from Malaga to Paris and Marseille. The Guardia Civil explained that the operation was run from France and members in Malaga were responsible for the logistics, storage and distribution.
The arrestees have been charged with crimes including belonging to a criminal organisation, drug trafficking, vehicle theft and fake documentation.
In total, 19 searches were carried out in Paris, Marseille, Nerja, Marbella and Estepona, leading to findings including 5,950 kilograms of hashish, €750,000 in cash and five high-end vehicles.