Criminal gang linked to growing and exporting marijuana to other EU countries dismantled on the Costa
Police have arrested seven people and seized 70 kilos of drugs, some 8,400 euros in cash, weighing scales and pressing machines
The National Police have dismantled another criminal network linked to large-scale drug-trafficking in Malaga province. The organisation was based in Vélez-Málaga, where its members were cultivating marijuana for subsequent export in lorries to European countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Poland. The plot, led by two Lithuanian nationals, relied on a network of local collaborators based in the Axarquia district and the province of Granada, who would rent isolated estates to store cannabis plantations.
'Operation Varsovia' has led to the arrest of seven people, including the ringleaders of the organisation. In their searches, the police have seized 70 kilograms of marijuana, 8,400 euros in cash, several weighing scales, pressing machines, mobile phones and documents.
The court has ordered the provisional imprisonment of one of the main suspects
The investigation was launched months ago, when the police detected the first movements. They discovered that the members were renting properties in less populated areas in the Axarquia district and in Granada province. They would use them to cultivate marijuana away from the eyes of the public. The organisation would pay rent "well above market prices".
The criminal network collaborated with various individuals in order to grow the substance and adapt farms to produce large harvests in a short period of time.
Criminal network structure
The organisation had a clear structure. There were people cultivating the marijuana, while others were in charge of guarding the plots. Last but not least, there were the people responsible for transporting the drugs, hidden among legal merchandise, in lorries. All members took "extraordinary security measures" to avoid getting caught by the police.
The main destination points for the merchandise were EU countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Poland, where the price of marijuana and hashish multiplies exponentially. Before leaving Spain, the marijuana would be taken to a warehouse in Vélez-Málaga to be packaged and camouflaged.
The case has already been transferred to the judicial authorities, who have ordered the provisional imprisonment of one of the main suspects.
