Hashish hidden in used clothes bundle
Forces from four provinces coordinated to bust the gang
A HAUL of 560 kilos of hashish has been found in a container which was being used to transport second-hand clothing.
The load was being shipped from Puerto de la Luz in Las Palmas to Alicante harbour.
Guardia Civil in the Canary Islands got wind of the smuggling operation.
They discovered that the drug was going to be hidden in the container which a company had declared as holding 10 tonnes of second-hand clothing.
A transport firm had been contracted to ship the clothing to an address on an industrial estate in Ceutí in Murcia region, via Alicante.
Guardia Civil in Murcia were contacted and officers kept watch on the warehouse where the drugs were due to be taken.
They found that intense activity was taking place in preparation for the reception of the hashish, with numerous checks being carried by the gang to make sure that they had not aroused the suspicions of the security forces.
A force spokesman reported that they had ‘absolute control of the industrial estate’.
However, the Guardia Civil and customs officers were keeping a close eye on the container, which had arrived in Alicante.
The spokesman noted that the same person who oversaw the loading of the merchandise in Las Palmas was on hand to see it off the boat in Alicante.
The company contracted to transport the load picked it up and took it to Ceutí.
When officers on the stakeout saw that the criminals had unloaded the drugs and were ‘checking the bags’, armed officers moved in to raid the warehouse and arrested 12 suspects.
Since then the security forces have carried out searches in Málaga, at a bar and a home, which were related to the shipment.
The spokesman noted that the operation was carried out by Guardia Civil forces in Las Palmas, Murcia, Alicante and Málaga, as well as the customs forces in Las Palmas and Alicante.
A total of 12 suspects aged between 18 and 52 years old have been charged with offences against public health.