Brussels — Regulation enforcement authorities in six completely different nations have joined forces to take down a "tremendous cartel" of medication traffickers controlling about one third of the cocaine commerce in Europe, the European Union crime company mentioned on Monday. Europol mentioned 49 suspects have been arrested through the investigation, with the newest sequence of raids throughout Europe and the United Arab Emirates going down between November 8-19.
The company mentioned police forces concerned in "Operation Desert Mild" focused each the "command-and-control heart and the logistical medicine trafficking infrastructure in Europe."
Over 30 tons of medication have been seized through the investigations run in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UAE with the assist of Europol. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration additionally performed a job in bringing down the group, which was additionally concerned in cash laundering, Europol mentioned.
"The size of cocaine importation into Europe underneath the suspects' management and command was huge," Europol mentioned, including that the suspects used encrypted communications to arrange medicine shipments.
The Netherlands was the nation the place many of the arrests have been made, with 14 suspects arrested in 2021. Europol mentioned six "high-value targets" have been arrested in Dubai.
A video posted on social media by Europol (above) confirmed members of assorted legislation enforcement businesses, together with Spain's Guardia Civil and the U.S. DEA, finishing up raids, seizing property together with jewelry and luxurious automobiles, and taking individuals into custody.
File quantities of cocaine are being seized in Europe. Its availability on the continent has by no means been increased, with extraordinarily excessive purity and low costs.
Greater than 214 tons of cocaine have been seized within the area in 2020, a 6% enhance from the earlier 12 months, and consultants from the European Monitoring Heart for Medication and Drug Habit imagine that quantity might attain 300 tons in 2022.