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Issue 069 7th - 13th September
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Major crime ring exposed By Tara Rippin
P
OLICE have shut down an operation of drug traffickers who kidnapped and tortured a man, cutting off two of his fingers over a stash of hashish. In a series of raids, officers arrested 18 people and applied for three international arrest warrants. In addition 6,120
kilos of hashish, two prohibited firearms and 10 vehicles have been seized, five of which were stolen. According to the Guardia Civil of Andalucia, the organisation was’ dedicated to the introduction of hashish caches by sea.’ The investigation began when detectives discovered a criminal organisation with a hierarchical
structure had settled at the mouth of the river Guadalquivir under the command of several ringleaders. Further probes suggested the group was dedicated to the transport of hashish from Morocco using semi-rigid boats and all-terrain vehicles, the latter of which are believed to have been stolen from the Malaga area.
According to a police source, once the drugs had been unloaded, they were stashed in properties close to the coast, known as ‘nurseries,’ before being distributed elsewhere in smaller quantities. Acting on the information gathered, the Guardia Civil intercepted one of the gang’s vehicles, in which there were members of this organi-
sation, as well as a man from Sanlúcar de Barrameda who ‘had been kidnapped with great violence and intimidation with firearms for an alleged theft of a stash of hashish.’ Officers confirmed he had been held for several days and ‘was tortured and two phalanges cut off a hand, so that after his release he required medical assistance.’ The Civil Guard
SEIZED: Drugs, cars and weapons were recovered.
BUSTED: Thousands of kilos of hashish found at ‘nurseries.’
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