UK gang supplying drugs to Spain dismantled
04 October 2010
A British organised crime group based in Alicante, Spain, has been dismantled by an operation carried out by the Spanish Guardia Civil in partnership with SOCA.
The gang’s primary interest was the drugs trade, encompassing the production, supply and distribution of ‘designer’ substances and cannabis on the Costa Blanca and Ibiza. It had been a major supplier of several other drugs distribution groups, including one taken apart by the Guardia Civil and SOCA under Operation Flécha in August 2010.
Twelve UK nationals, eight male and four female, were arrested in the Torrevieja area of the Costa Blanca on 27 September under Operation Zumo. Another member of the group had previously been apprehended as he tried to traffic around 53,000 pills – believed to be Ecstasy – from the port of Denia to suppliers in Ibiza. The drugs had been concealed in the doors of a car in a bid to avoid detection.
The gang was also involved in money laundering and identity fraud activities. 
In addition to the pills, Guardia Civil officers have seized 100 cannabis plants and associated cultivation equipment, quantities of cocaine and cannabis, four vehicles, a boat, mobile phones and cash in sterling and euros.
SOCA assisted Spanish colleagues in maximising intelligence and identifying the gang’s operating methods, as well as supporting the arrest phase and identifying UK links.
The majority of the 13 people arrested are from the Liverpool area. They range in age from 22 to 74 and have all have been remanded in custody.
Ken Gallagher, SOCA’s European Head of Operations, said:
"The success of our partnership with Spanish Law Enforcement increasingly looks like a blueprint for how Europe can work together to present a united front against organised crime. This criminal gang was treating the UK as a distribution centre for the drugs they peddled in Spain, harming not only the British community and holiday makers in Spain but also harming the UK itself through their extended drug dealing."