By Ron Howells • Published: 04 Sep 2021 • 9:05
Police seize 10 tons of contraband tobacco and 36,000 cigarette packets in Sevilla. image: Spanish National Police
Police arrested 18 people in Spain and five in Portugal as part of a major operation. In the raid, they seized more than 10 tons of contraband tobacco and 36,000 illegally produced cigarette packets.
At one point in the video, an officer pulls out a meter-long shotgun from one of the suspects’ wardrobes and clocks the weapon several times to unload it. A middle-aged Caucasian-looking man (pink shirt) is then handcuffed and placed under custody.
More police rummage through drawers in one of the bedrooms of the raided property and find a hidden handgun and ammunition.
Boxes containing thousands of cigarette packets were seized in the bust, which took place in the southern Spanish town of Sevilla.
Police said that the criminal organization owned two “clandestine factories” in the towns of Montellano and Lebrija, where they carried out illegal activity by “handling and storing tobacco” to obtain an “important economic benefit.”
Spanish authorities have seemingly had their hands full of large drug busts of late, releasing aerial footage of a drug bust seizing over 6,000 cannabis plants in a national park in Catalonia on Friday. They also released a video on Wednesday of a Europol drug bust, also in Catalonia, which saw the arrest of 107 suspects.
Read more:
Swedish Mafia drugs gang amasses a fortune on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
The National Police in Spain, in one of their most successful investigations of the year, have uncovered a massive illegal drugs operation that involved the transfer of substances by removal lorries between San Pedro Alcántara in Spain and Sweden.
The profits generated in the Nordic country reverted to the purchase of super-luxury real estate in some of the best areas in Marbella, Estepona or Benahavís.
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Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.
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