Costa del Sol rental car worker arrested in Malaga on suspicion of drug trafficking

The Guardia Civil, in collaboration with the Ertzaintza (the Basque Country regional police force), have arrested three people and dismantled a criminal organisation linked to transporting cocaine from Malaga to the Basque Country. The investigation, within the framework of Operation Almanzor, began when several people were detected as they were transporting narcotic substances between southern and northern Spain.

The criminal network transported the drugs by road using the 'go-fast' method using decoy vehicles. In addition, in this particular case, the suspects used a rented vehicle that acted as a shuttle so as not to arouse suspicion and to warn of possible controls or police presence during the journey.

The investigators discovered that the members of the network were based in Malaga and San Sebastián.

The drugs were hidden in secret compartments in the vehicles. With numerous pieces of information from the investigation, the police were able to intercept one of these shipments in the town of Lezo in Guipuzcoa, where 14 kilograms of cocaine were seized.

With all the evidence, following judicial authorisation, the investigators proceeded to carry out several entries and searches in the provinces of Malaga and Guipúzcoa, proceeding to the arrest of the three members of the criminal organisation, including the administrator of a car rental company in Malaga, who managed the logistics and provided the rental vehicles that were used as shuttles.

In addition to the seized drugs, the car rental company and its fleet, a taxi licensed in Guipúzcoa, some 9,250 euros in cash, seven vehicles and various electronic and mobile phone devices used for communication were seized.

The detainees have been handed over to the judicial authority for the crimes of drug-trafficking, money-laundering and criminal organisation membership.