30 arrested across Spain for trafficking marijuana disguised as humanitarian aid for Ukraine

Spanish police have arrested 30 people involved in trafficking large amounts of marijuana in packages disguised as humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine. 

The Spanish Guardia Civil seized more than 100 kilograms of cannabis in two vans purporting to be transporting supplies to the war-torn Eastern European country, following investigations across Andalusia. 

The criminal gang – comprised of Ukrainian, German, Spanish and Moroccan nationals – was said to have operated across Spain’s Costa del Sol and transported drugs across Europe. 

Investigators in the Spanish Guardia Civil detected a group of Ukrainian citizens suspected of selling marijuana across the continent. 

Members of the organization were said to have collected the pre-packaged marijuana before storing it in an apartment in the town of Mijas, in the Málaga province on the Costa del Sol. 

Following investigations, officers discovered two Ukrainian-registered vans in the town of Fuengirola containing 109 kilograms of vacuum-packed marijuana packages in cardboard boxes. 

The boxes containing the drugs were said to have been ‘camouflaged’ as ‘supplies and humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine’. 

Officers arrested the four occupants of the vans on charges of drug trafficking and later conducted 11 house searches across the province of Málaga. 

The extensive searches saw the seizure of 740,400 Euros, 25,250 US Dollars, 20 kilograms of marijuana, 1,000 marijuana plants, firearms and police material such as ‘ballistic vests and GPS tracking devices’. 

Another 11 people were arrested following the house searches, whilst an additional 14 people connected with supplying the drugs were later arrested in the provinces of Granada, Córdoba and Seville. 

In these searches, a further 1,500 marijuana plants, 10 kilograms of packaged marijuana, five firearms and 15,000 Euros in cash were seized. 

The Guardia Civil added that during the later searches, two of those being investigated attempted to flee – even ‘hitting a police vehicle occupied by two agents’, causing minor injuries, in their escape attempt. 

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