Malaga-based drug-trafficking and money-laundering network dismantled

The investigation established that the organisation had links with various European countries and South America. It used sea routes and container freight to smuggle large consignments of cocaine through the port of Rotterdam.

Initial investigations led to the identification of a man who was allegedly in charge of money-laundering operations for the organisation and other criminal networks based in the area.

He allegedly devised complex corporate structures to conceal the illicit origin of the proceeds of drug-trafficking, using fictitious loan agreements to channel at least 4,000,000 euros towards the purchase of property in the province of Malaga.

Subsequently, these properties were transferred to relatives of the main suspect with the aim of making it more difficult to trace them and concealing the true origin of the assets.

The investigators concluded that the detainee was not acting merely as a financial adviser, but was instead providing specialised money-laundering services on an ongoing basis to various international criminal organisations, facilitating the channelling of drug-trafficking profits into the legal financial system.

The organisation's ringleader, known as "the financial architect of the Costa del Sol", was arrested in the town of Estepona. He was a High Value Target (HVT) for Europol and was the subject of ongoing investigations in various European countries, including Belgium.

Investigators also suggest that the detainee may have recently organised the shipment of a container with more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine bound for the port of Rotterdam.

The police advanced the operational phase of the investigation due to the risk that the suspect might leave Europe and seek refuge in a third country, making it more difficult to locate him and bring him before the courts.

At the end of June, the police carried out raids and searches in Malaga (five) and the Netherlands (three), during which they seized five firearms, three high-end vehicles, a drone, 40 mobile phones, jewellery valued at around 170,000 euros and a watch from a highly prestigious brand. They also froze a property worth 4,000,000 euros.

The operation resulted in five arrests. In accordance with European arrest warrants, the Spanish authorities handed over two of the Dutch nationals under arrest to the judicial authorities in the Netherlands.

The operation highlights the importance of international police cooperation in combating transnational criminal organisations involved in both drug-trafficking and money-laundering.

The investigation is currently ongoing, with the police not ruling out further action aimed at completely dismantling the economic structures.

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