Take Down of the Super Cartel of Drug Lords from Across the World

Edin would purchase wholesale quantities of cocaine from partners like the now-dismantled Colombian Norte del Valle Cartel and independent Peruvian producers, according to a Bosnian police official. He was initially based in the Netherlands, is also a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was arrested in Dubai during the operation.

He is also charged with importing 8,000 kilos of raw chemicals used as precursors in the production of amphetamines. The materials entered Europe via the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, and were directed to the Netherlands. A criminal investigation was started against him after authorities intercepted Sky ECC messages. “Due to the Sky chats, it is also suspected that the man was involved as organizer, broker, and financier in the import of 739.5 kilos of cocaine from Durban (South Africa) to Rotterdam,” they added. “This also includes a batch of approximately 1,800 kilos of cocaine imported via the port of Hamburg, Germany in 2020 with a destination in the Netherlands,” Dutch police said.

Kinahan Clan

The 32-year-old British drug trafficker linked to the Irish Kinahan clan was arrested in Dubai as well, in November 2022. He was wanted by Spanish authorities for having laundered €24 million in drug money, buying property and high-end sports cars including a €300,000 Lamborghini in Marbella, Spain. Hale was regarded by Spain’s Civil Guard as the leader of the group there before fleeing to Dubai because he feared arrest and being kidnapped by rival organized crime groups.

His wife, still living in Spain, has proclaimed to the press that he is “totally innocent” and not involved in the Super Cartel. He spent many years working for one of the UK’s leading construction companies before a career in property development and moving to Marbella. There is no information whatsoever that the real estate company where he worked is involved.

The Kinahan gang played a “key coordinating role” in the Super Cartel. Daniel Kinahan had turned to Los Urabeños after another cocaine supply route set up by Dutch-Chilean Ricardo “El Rico” Riquelme was dismantled upon Riquelme’s arrest in 2017. Kinahan partnered with Panamanian Anthony Alfredo Martínez Meza as well, shipping cocaine from Panama’s port of Manzanillo to Spain. 

Money launderer for the Kinahan’s John Morrissey was arrested in Spain earlier this year.

Recently as well, several money launders in the UK, Spain, and Ireland, linked to the Kinahan clan have been arrested. In September 2022, “Johnny Cash” Morrissey was arrested in Spain where police said the raid smashed the gang’s operations there, accusing Morrissey of helping to launder some £300,000 per day. They alleged that cash had not been physically moved out of Spain but spread throughout the world using an ancient money transfer system called Hawala.

It is alleged that the Kinahan family is putting the blame for some of their recent attention and sanctions on Morrissey, who is believed to be the indirect owner via his wife Nicola Morrissey, of Nero Vodka. The US government alleges that Morrissey handed over the ownership stake of Nero Drinks to Daniel Kinahan as compensation for failed drug shipments.

Thomas “Bomber” Kavanagh was the Kinahan’s long-time head of operations in the UK. He was sentenced in 2022 to 21 years for smuggling £30 million worth of cocaine and cannabis hidden inside industrial equipment. Police who raided his bullet-proofed mansion in Tamworth, near Birmingham, also found hauls of cash and weapons. His conviction marked the downfall of the UK branch of operations.

The Kinahan Clan family members are the only ones left from the Super Cartel. But how long they can avoid authorities while under US sanctions is up for debate. It was reported Daniel and possibly his father Christy Sr. and brother Christy Jr. may have fled from Dubai in search of a safe haven in Asia. All three have $5 million USD rewards for their captures.

The central base for all of the Super Cartel traffickers was Dubai until recently. Dubai’s reputation as a safe haven for criminals is certainly being re-examined. The United Arab Emirates signed a liaison agreement with Europol in September, which proved crucial to the recent arrests. However, “To an extent, the UAE authorities do not want to look at it too hard because there’s billions of criminal money being invested in Dubai,” one European intelligence officer told VICE News. 

Antwerp Became the Epicenter of European Drug Trafficking

The investigations revealed, however, that Spain was only one of the entry routes for the drug into Europe, and that the Super Cartel also introduced important shipments through the ports of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium).

Belgian customs officers have seized so much cocaine that it is causing a backlog for the country’s incinerators, with police now concerned that the stockpile could become a target for criminals. 40% of all cocaine seizures in the European Union have taken place in Antwerp, including 100 metric tons in 2021 alone. It is difficult to burn them in bulk “as this would cause issues with the filters at the incineration plant.”

The port of Antwerp, Europe’s second-largest, is on track to seize 110 tons of the drug this year, Flemish broadcaster VRT reported. This would have a street value of at least $5.1 billion, according to The Brussels Times, making its destruction a matter of urgency. The locations of the country’s specially licensed incinerators are kept under careful wraps. A Van Quickenborne spokesman has said the seized drugs are “closely monitored.”

13 Arrests with 2 High-Value Targets Arrested in Dubai at Spain’s Request