Thursday 5 March 2020

SPAIN BARCELONA POLICE SEIZE HUGE HAUL OF METHAMPHETAMINE SHIPPED FROM MEXICO

THE largest haul of crystal meth in Spanish history has been discovered in Barcelona by Spain’s National Police.  Investigators seized 631 kilos of the drugs in an operation that they have hailed as a milestone in international police cooperation in the fight against organised crime, as well as a major blow to the supply of this drug to the European market.  The investigation began after police detected several people who had a safe house in Badalona (Barcelona) as a base.  They collected drugs from various Spanish ports then transferred them to an industrial warehouse.  Police found the crystal meths inside 26 cardboard boxes that each contained about 40 packages making up the biggest seizure of the drug ever made in Spain. 

Two people have been arrested in Spain and four others outside the country, although the investigation is still open to determine the routes of entry of the drug. The investigation began in early 2018 when EUROPOL warned of the presence of several criminal groups operating in Europe that would use Spain as a place of purchase, storage and transport of large quantities of drugs – cocaine, methamphetamine (crystal meth) and marihuana. 
The 1,657 Pounds Haul of Methamphetamine Seized By Spanish Police
After a long investigation Spanish police detected one of these groups operating in the area of Barcelona. They collected and stored the drugs in Spain before supplying the European drugs market. The amount of crystal meth seized in the operation was more than triple the previous largest haul of 178 kilos.  **In a second phase of the investigation another warehouse was found where a marihuana plantation of 1,000 plants was dismantled.  Spain meth haul- shipped from Mexico in massive marble blocks.

Authorities in Spain have intercepted the country’s largest-ever haul of methamphetamine, which had been shipped from Mexico in massive marble blocks. Video footage from Spain’s National Police shows the dramatic moment officers drilled through the blocks and found cylinders of the drug, which had been intended for European markets.

Suspicions were aroused in August 2019 when authorities noticed the arrival at the port of Valencia of 28-ton blocks from Mexico destined for a company that did not have the right infrastructure or resources to handle such a load.

A joint operation involving Spain’s National Police, Civil Guard and tax agency was launched in mid-October into the company supposedly involved in the import and export of marble. The containers arrived in Valencia with six marble blocks. Investigators said one of them had strange marks at its base that did not look like normal marble. The probe followed the trail of the blocks to the town of Novelda in Alicante province. The block with the unusual marks was traced to a nearby quarry where it had been buried under debris. Spanish police said in a press release that when officers investigated the slab, they found 43 packets of plastic-wrapped meth hidden inside the marble in what was “a novel and undetectable system.” The meth had been put into the blocks in Mexico. To protect them for the trip across the Atlantic, they were sealed with resin, topped with a marble cover and mortar. The altered side of the block was put face down so its different surface would not be noticed.

In the first seizure, officers found 776 pounds of the drug. Soon afterward, customs officials intercepted another block containing a further 881 pounds of meth. After a police raid, five people were arrested and police also discovered five guns, and €150,000 ($192,000). Authorities also seized assets including 14 vehicles and 19 properties linked to the alleged criminals. Police said those behind the meth operation had a sophisticated network that drew on a wide variety of skills. Police said they would have needed expertise in the drilling and handling of marble, both in Spain and Mexico, as well as specialized heavy machinery. The network also had a good knowledge of international maritime trade and customs controls. “The investigation has revealed the specialization in the criminal activity of those who have been arrested as well as the strong logistical and commercial structure of the organization,” it said. It is not known what charges those detained will face.

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