Drug gang dismantled

ARRESTS have been made in Alicante and Valencia as part of a police operation which, after a year of investigations, has dismantled one of the most active networks of hashish trafficking between Morocco and Spain.

They have arrested seven Spanish nationals, including the man believed to be the leader of the organisation, a citizen residing in Melilla, from where he directed and coordinated all the movements of the gang.

During the operation coastal surveillance was set up to watch for drugs being distributed across the Mediterranean. In June, they detected a small inflatable boat without lights and two people on board. Upon spotting the authorities the men were seen throwing parcels overboard. Police found 76 bundles of hashish with a total weight of over 2,000kg.

As the operation continued, arrests were made in Melilla, Alicante, Madrid and Valencia.