Spanish Police Dismantle Sinaloa Cartel Connected Cell, Seizing Record 1.8 Tons of Meth

In early 2023, agents became aware of the existence of a criminal group, based in Tenerife, dedicated to cocaine trafficking from the peninsula to the Canary archipelago. The investigations made it possible to arrest one of those responsible for the criminal structure and find out that they were sending the cocaine by hiding it inside household appliances that were sent to the island through legal companies that were unaware of the contents of the shipment.

That operation saw the seizure of 24 kilograms of cocaine, hidden in washing machines.

From that operation onwards, the investigations focused on identifying those responsible for the shipment and were able to find out that it had been carried out through a logistics company located in the southern area of ​​Madrid, where members of the organization traveled to make certain shipments. hidden in appliances.

Once identified, various surveillance and follow-ups were carried out that led the agents to find out that the person responsible for the organization operated from the province of Valencia and that he adopted important counter-surveillance measures to avoid being investigated. In addition, to carry out the operations they used a second vehicle that acted as a shuttle in transport operations to detect possible police controls.

“We in the National Police thought that the Mexican cartels were not established in Spain,” Martínez said. “But it is true that due to the pressure they are under in other parts of Europe, above all against their laboratories, we are seeing how they are trying to start operations or set up illegal laboratories in Spain to produce drugs.”

Marbella – UN of Organized Crime Groups

Once known as a haven for escaped British criminals, the Costa del Sol has reportedly moved into another, more dangerous league: Marbella, known for its expensive property and wonderful nightlife oases, has become the global headquarters, and the playground for multinational groups of organized criminal gangs. The coastal Spanish landscape now is home to dozens of organized crime groups from all over the world including Irish, Italian and Balkan trafficking groups, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMGs), Colombian and Mexican Cartels.

“It’s the United Nations of organized crime, as one police detective called it. Marbella is a place where gangs can do their work, but where they can also enjoy life in restaurants, villas, and beautiful bars,” says Nacho Carretero, a Spanish journalist.

“The Costa del Sol is a kind of hub, or ‘coworking’ space, where almost every major criminal group in the world has some sort of presence,” a senior National police agent investigating organized crime told us. “It’s a UN of criminals for a globalized world. Marbella is a tourist brand, but it’s also a criminal brand.” Marcos Frías, chief of the Central Organised Crime Brigade, said: “If a crime boss from Liverpool wants to traffic drugs on a large scale, he knows he has to make an appearance in Marbella. He doesn’t have a choice.”

More than 100 criminal gangs from 59 nationalities are estimated to operate from this popular tourist haven, including the Serbian mafia, Swedish biker gangs, and the Italian mafia. Attracted by Gibraltar’s proximity to drug markets and scrupulous money-laundering services, gangs from the Netherlands, Morocco, Albania, and Britain also compete for a share of the market for hashish smuggled from North Africa or cocaine shipped from South America; and more recently, meth from Mexico.

Occasionally, this leads to violence: there have been shootings, as well as cases of horrific torture, sometimes carried out in luxury villas occupied by gangs.

One victim had holes drilled in her legs. Another recently turned up with his back cut to pieces from days of flogging after a drug haul went missing. The badly disfigured corpses are dumped by the roadside in the hills outside Marbella.

At the same time, today’s mobsters have been willing to work together when it suits their needs. The Dutch generally deal directly with the Colombians to arrange drug shipments in food containers sent to Algeciras, 50 miles south of Marbella. Illegal goods are often guarded by the Italian Camorra. Albanians and Kosovars supply weapons and act as muscle. Meanwhile, British criminals help launder the profits.

The Costa del Sol was once home to the infamous Kinahan Cartel members before many fled to Dubai to avoid being targetted by both rivals and authorities in Ireland. Following US sanctions in April 2022, they have been closing companies they had registered in Dubai, with relatives selling off some of their properties to avoid being seized.

In 2012 Daniel Kinahan and Irish boxer, Matthew Macklin, founded MTK (Mack The Knife Boxing) which is now known as MGM, in Marbella, Spain. It was at the weigh-in for an MTK boxing match in 2016 where rival Hutch family shooters attacked the event in an attempt to kill Daniel Kinahan. It was suspected that Daniel ordered the murder of Gary Hutch, his long time friend, in Spain. This event forced the Kinahan’s to move from Spain to Dubai.

Ryan James Hale, who was dedicated to laundering the Kinahans’ money on the Costa del Sol, is one of two detainees in Dubai whose extradition Spain requests, along with the Panamanian Anthony “Hassan” Alfredo Martínez Meza.

Biker Gang Takedown