The largest plot of drug trafficking and money laundering in the Region, had a bunker that agents have called the panic room
A huge police operation has managed to dismantle the largest criminal network of the Valencian Community dedicated to drug trafficking and money laundering .
Javea was undoubtedly one of the epicenters of this enormous police operation. The video above shows the impressive police deployment carried out at the luxury car dealership as well as the raid by dozens of agents in an exclusive villa said to belong to one of the leaders of the plot. This villa could be considered “one for the movies”
The National Police point out that behind the lavish walls of the villa, the ringleader had a real bunker as the operation’s headquarters. As seen in the video, the property was surrounded by magnificent landscaped gardens, trees, several porches and high-end vehicles.
gents have even claimed that there was a panic room where the arrested man hid a million euros in cash. The raids revealed at least 81 people who have been detained not only in our community but also in Madrid and Galicia. There have also been several arrested in Dénia, including the sports director of CD Dénia, who was arrested in Santander.
HISTORY
The investigation began in January 2018 when the National Police learned of the existence of a criminal organisation, based in Alicante, allegedly dedicated to the trafficking of large-scale narcotics. This fact having been proven, the agents realised that they were also laundering the benefits of this illegal activity through various different methods.
A very complicated investigation about a very violent group.
The start of the investigation was very complex because the organisation was very compartmentalized as well as perfectly structured and synchronized. In addition, its main members, who used extreme security measures, lacked a police record for drug trafficking. This required investigators to create joint investigation teams, both criminal and financial, as well as the collaboration of police from other countries. In this sense, the efforts of the police of countries such as Romania, Sweden, Portugal, Great Britain and Colombia joined. Likewise, Europol collaborated with all the means and analysts available to it, by incorporating this operation into one of its preferred investigative actions with special dedication (EMPACT).
The organisation had several completely watertight steps to perform those tasks entrusted to them by the leaders; It even had a security team to carry out against surveillance and tackle especially complex actions such as debt collection, extortion or “rollover.” This last group was especially violent and got splashed by a murder in the town of Campello (Alicante).
As a result of international work, the agents detected a very strong Swedish criminal group that was beginning to move in Barcelona and with which the investigated organisation came into contact in order to improve its infrastructure and capabilities. The collaboration between the National Police and the Swedish police allowed to locate the leader of this plot, who has been arrested along with three of his collaborators.
Then….seizure of 3,200 kilos of cocaine
With the advance of the investigation, apprehensions followed. From the middle of 2018 to date, and in different police interventions, the agents seized 3,200 kilos of cocaine whenever they wanted to introduce them to the market through different concealment systems; from the blind hook or rip off, to the use of a boat, through a truck trailer, the use of several “hot” cars or an illegal laboratory. As a result of these operations, the agents initially arrested 20 people, and later a further 18, all of them subcontracted by the criminal group investigated with the purpose of moving away the management of the cocaine organisation.
As a result of the police interventions of these cargos of narcotics, which never reached their destination, the organisation began to “dry out”. They began to make mistakes in their communications and in their dealings and this allowed researchers to detect several transfers of large amounts of money between the different leaders of the organisation.
AND….two sailboats, a yacht and 800 bank accounts!
The last phase of the investigation, which resulted with 41 arrests and 13 records, has become one of the largest and best established criminal structures in the Mediterranean to be definitively neutralised.
In total there are 150 people involved in the investigations and 81 detainees – 39 of them in previous phases and 42 in the last phase of exploitation.
Likewise, 2,000,000 euros in cash, 3 firearms, jewels, precious stones, luxury watches, 73 vehicles, 2 sailboats and 1 yacht have been intervened.
Furthermore, agents have located properties worth 20 million euros and have frozen 800 checking accounts. So far, detainees are charged with money laundering operations worth seven million euros.
The operation is still open and a new police phase is now being opened, consisting of analysing all the information obtained, the seized computers and the abundant documentation that, presumably, will provide more evidence of the criminal activity that the disjointed criminal organisation developed.
