Laurence Dollimore
A 61-year-old has been arrested alongside several family members on suspicion of drug trafficking on the Costa Blanca.
The locally named ‘grandfather of coke’ was cuffed alongside his wife, daughter and son-in-law in Els Poblets.
It came after the Guardia Civil began tailing the drug trafficking family at the end of last year.
Throughout months of vigorous investigations, authorities observed how the family operated as a slick criminal operation, distributing cocaine and other drugs in the Els Poblets and El Verger areas.
The family clan had more than 100 clients, of all ages, who would buy from daily, according to police.
The ringleader, AKA El abuelo de la coca, would brazenly perform drug drop offs at several bars in both localities.
He even met clients in the parking lots of supermarkets.
To keep up with demand, his wife, daughter and son-in-law were all roped in to carry out deliveries, police said.
The latter two would also dish out threats to clients who owed debts, saying they would hire gangs to beat them to within an inch of their lives if they refused to pay up.
The ‘grandfather of coke’ has been dealing for years, police said, making him think he was ‘untouchable’.
But after gathering enough evidence, police raided a household on August 29 in Els Poblets, finding large amounts of cocaine and marijuana and arresting the ringleader and his wife.
In a second raid on September 15, the daughter and son-in-law were also arrested.
The Spaniards have been released on bail apart from El abuelo de la coca, who will remain behind bars ahead of the trial.
