Magaluf cocaine ring busted as 12 people from UK arrested and three kilos of drug seized
Heavily-armed officers confiscate £100,000 cash, 3kg of high-purity cocaine and other drugs including ecstasy and cannabis
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Twelve British people were arrested as Spanish police seized £100,000 worth of cocaine during a raid on a drugs gang based in Magaluf, according to prosecutors.
Heavily-armed officers confiscated £100,000 in cash, 3kg of high-purity cocaine and other drugs including ecstasy and cannabis during the operation in the popular holiday resort on the island of Mallorca.
A total of 14 alleged gang members – 12 British, one Spanish and one from the Dominican Republic – were arrested during the dawn raids, which were supported by a police helicopter in Mallorca and Barcelona on Thursday.
Prosecutors claim the drug-dealing ring was selling narcotics to tourists in Magaluf’s nightclubs.
According to local reports, they were selling around 8kg of cocaine a month and were smuggling drugs into Mallorca on speedboats.
Most of those arrested were from Manchester and Liverpool, it is said.
The Spanish Civil Guard and the UK’s National Crime Agency targeted the organised criminals as part of a joint effort called Operation Tatum.
Twelve of the alleged drug dealers were taken to a court in the Mallorcan capital Palma on Saturday and were remanded in custody following a private hearing.
It is not clear whether they are still in prison awaiting trial and how the judicial investigation against them has proceeded.
The Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement: “The Civil Guard has arrested 14 people, 13 in Mallorca and one in Barcelona, suspected of belonging to a criminal organisation selling drugs in nightspots in Magaluf.
“During the 12 raids that took place, three kilos of high-purity cocaine were seized along with different amount of ecstasy pills, cannabis resin and methamphetamine, €103,000 in cash and four vehicles.
“The operation began as a result of Operation Daju which took place in July last year.”
Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido congratulated police, tweeting: “Congratulations to the Civil Guard for dismantling a gang selling cocaine in Magaluf. There are 14 detainees.”
Operation Tatum was linked to a major drugs bust last summer in Mallorca called Operation Daju, which resulted in the arrest of five Brits and seizure of 4.8kg of cocaine.
Additional reporting by agencies
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