A “super-cartel” that controlled one-third of the cocaine trade in Europe has been taken down in six countries, police have said.
The EU police agency, Europol, announced that 49 suspects were arrested during the investigation, after raids in Europe and the United Arab Emirates targeting the cartel’s “command and control centre” and logistics network.
One of the suspects is a British national, who is thought to have led the cartel. The British suspect is described as having links to the Costa del Sol. He left Spain after an attempted kidnapping plot against him and fled to Dubai, where he continued to run the drugs operation, according to a statement from Spain’s Guardia Civil.
A Europol source told the AFP news agency that one of the Dutch suspects was an “extremely big fish”. A total of 14 arrests were made in the Netherlands in 2021, while two “high-value” Dutch suspects were arrested in Dubai. The Dutch suspects are allegedly linked to Ridouan Taghi, who was arrested in 2019 and is now on trial in the Netherlands.
Credit: theguardian.com
