Agents of the National Policein a joint operation with the Civil Guardhave dismantled an organization dedicated to the Internet sale of gummies contaminated with synthetic drugs.
As reported this Saturday by the National Police, the members of the organization, of Dutch origin and based on the Costa del Sol, carried out postal shipments of the narcotic to all Europe and in addition, they had created a complex network of companies for the concealment and subsequent laundering of money.
Seven home searches have been carried out in properties on the Costa del Sol (Fuengirola, Mijas, Estepona) and the Canary Islands (Maspalomas). Among other substances, 12,000 bags of jelly beans have been seized and snacks impregnated with THC, 281 vapes with liquid cannabis, 49 packages of different weights that contained cocaine inside.
The investigation began when the agents received a communication from the Belgian Police according to which a person had been arrestedof Dutch nationality, at a parcel collection point with a shipment of 700 grams of a narcotic substance, specifically synthetic cathinone (3MMC).
Following this arrest, agents began an investigation to find out what organization was behind this incident. The researchers thus discovered that the network that had made the shipment was responsible for many other small shipments, of low value, through different logistics companies and using different recipients. It was observed that during the investigation numerous shipments were made to Maspalomas.
The leaders of the organization were a Dutch couple, well positioned on the Costa del Sol, with a high standard of living, with numerous properties and businesses – even a gym – in their name in the areas of Fuengirola, Mijas and Estepona. Both, assisted by two lieutenants of Dutch nationality, They coordinated shipments of all types of substances.
In one of the numerous meetings that the couple had, the agents identified a man of Dutch nationality who seemed to have a “business” of creating narcotic substances independently from leaders.
Candies
The ‘modus operandi’ of this organization consisted of acquiring sweets and snacks from different places, such as Holland or directly to factories in Levante, or even China where the name was different, which then they contaminated it with cannabinoids.
To avoid being discovered, the members of this group used storage rooms and different properties to store the products. Furthermore, the main person investigated did not reside in a single place, but rather chained successive vacation rentals and changed vehicles frequently.
Investigators discovered that the organization had two storage rooms in the town of Mijas. In one of them they located the legal merchandise as snacks, sweets or vapes, which did not contain narcotics. Later, after leaving them for a reasonable amount of time, they picked them up and took them to one of the properties they had rented, where they had established a rudimentary kitchen-laboratory where they prepared psychotropic mixtures and preparations.
In this place, they also infused the sweets – they eliminated their exterior sugars and liquefied the cannabis preparations so that they were impregnated – or used aerosols to impregnate them. This method is very dangerous for health since it does not allow the exact doses to be controlled, in addition to being more attractive for children and minors. The products were later marketed in Malaga and Holland.
When the agents had controlled all the organization’s locations, their three members were arrested and four properties and two storage rooms were searched. in the towns of Mijas and Estepona. During the searches, material for the preparation of narcotic substances, labeling and bagging, as well as significant amounts of money and cryptowallets, were seized.
Shipping company
The second phase of the research focused on the main branch of the organization. Throughout this, dozens of arrests of different synthetic drugs linked to this criminal network, intercepting up to 49 packages containing 3MMC or 2MMC, 78,500 doses of Etizolam, three kilos of MDPHP – derived from the cannibal drug.
To ship these substances, the organization had created a company that always appeared as the sender of the shipments. The organization had built a commercialization of drug trafficking, through this company created by themselves, carrying out the sale of synthetic drugs covertly under their declared legal activity.
The recipients of the drugs paid the price through bank transfers, with more than one and a half million euros entering the account during the period analyzed. The company declared these income as sales of products such as chemical raw materials, vitamin or sports products. The organization showed a high degree of sophistication, both in drug trafficking and money laundering.
When they had collected all the information, the agents began to exploit the operation, arresting four members of the organization, three of Dutch nationality and one Spanish. In addition, seven home searches were carried out in properties on the Costa del Sol, specifically in Málaga, Mijas, Estepona and Maspalomas (Gran Canaria).
In these searches, different types of synthetic drugs, firearms and cash were found. There has been a blockage of nearly 620,000 euros in national accounts and the blocking of real estate properties valued at 1.5 million euros and high-end cars. In addition, the arrest of another individual is expected.
