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Police from six countries have helped bust a huge drug cartel in Europe and the United Arab Emirates.
This is stated by Europol in a press release.
A total of 49 people have been arrested and the last raids are said to have taken place on 19 November.
A major police operation codenamed “Operation Desert Light” has just ended after several months in the making.
Law enforcement agencies in six different countries have worked together and smashed an organization dubbed a “super cartel”.
According to Europol, they have attacked various key personnel as well as the organization’s logistics and infrastructure.
Huge amounts of cocaine
The super cartel is said to have accounted for a third of the cocaine trade in Europe, AP reports.
A total of 49 suspects have been arrested, in Europe and the United Arab Emirates. Around 33 tonnes of narcotics have also been seized in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.
American narcotics officers from the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) are said to have also participated in the operation.
Most of the arrests are said to have taken place in the Netherlands. Ten were arrested in Belgium, six in France, 13 in Spain and 14 in the Netherlands.
Six key people, who were called “high value targets” in the operation, are said to have been arrested in Dubai.
Headquarters in Dubai
The organization’s headquarters should have been in Dubai, according to information to The Guardian.
One of those arrested in Dubai is suspected of having smuggled thousands of kilos of cocaine to the Netherlands in 2020-2021, according to the country’s police authority.
It is about a 37-year-old man with dual citizenship, Moroccan and Dutch. He is also suspected of money laundering and weapons offences.
The police only became aware of him after interception and that the messaging service Sky ECC was able to be decrypted.
Another of those arrested in Dubai is a 40-year-old Bosnian/Dutch man. He is suspected of having smuggled cocaine and amphetamines into Europe.
Even in his case, the police were able to intercept several messages sent on Sky.
Boss from UK
A British national is believed to have been the leader of the cartel. According to the Spanish Guardia Civil, he has connections to the Costa del Sol in Spain, where he previously worked.
However, after a kidnapping threat, he fled Spain and settled in Dubai.
It is now believed that the seizures in Europe will increase as the arrested persons begin to tell about the cartel’s activities.