10 British nationals arrested in huge international drug trafficking operation
Ten British nationals have been arrested as part of an investigation into trans-Atlantic drug trafficking after more than one tonne of cocaine was seized from a yacht.
Inquiries started in 2020 after police identified a British gang in Spain responsible for moving cocaine from South America to Europe.
Since then, law enforcement agencies have arrested 52 people across the globe, including 28 in Spain.
They have seized 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, eight boats and 36 vehicles, as well as firearms and ammunition.
The criminal network owned a fleet of vessels which were used to transport the drugs from South America to Europe via Spain.
One vessel, a Spanish-registered yacht, was intercepted 1,200 miles east of Martinique by a French navy frigate on 18 December last year. Officers discovered 1.2 tonnes of cocaine on-board and arrested the three British crew members, including the skipper, a 30-year-old man from Stornoway, Scotland.
The investigation identified routes used by the organised crime group to bring vast quantities of drugs to Spain for onward distribution, including into the UK.
They sailed back and forth from Spanish coastal locations, such as Valencia, Alicante, and Málaga, to Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Barbados and Panama.
Overseeing the entire operation was a Norwegian figurehead of the international crime network, who is presumed to have been operating in drug trafficking for more than two decades.
The NCA said the Norwegian had the "full trust" of Colombian and Mexican cartels, and coordinated the production of the drugs and its transportation through South America until it could be shipped to Spain.
Investigators found that the money generated by the drug shipments was reinvested in new operations and laundered through a network of businesswomen that operated in several countries.
Five British men and five women, aged between 24 and 63, have been arrested, from locations including Boston, Lincolnshire, Scotland, Withernsea, Bracknell, Chelmsford and Nottingham.
The operation was conducted jointly by the Spanish Policía Nacional, National Crime Agency, Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the European MAOC, with the support of EUROPOL.
Neil Keeping, from the NCA based in Spain, said: “The NCA’s international network has played a leading role in sharing intelligence with overseas partners to intercept huge shipments of drugs and trace key members of the criminal enterprise.
“A portion of the Class A drugs seized would have undoubtedly been destined for the UK, where its supply at street level fuels violence and exploitation, and brings misery to our communities.
“Tackling global crime groups such as this one requires strong collaboration with international partners, and our efforts alongside them continue to ensure these networks are demolished.”
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