Alex Trelinski
A drugs gang that cultivated and exported marijuana across Europe from plantations in Alicante Province has been arrested by the Guardia Civil.
One of the ring-leaders was a British man, 30, from the Orihuela Costa.
Acting on information from UK authorities, the Guardia discovered that the Brit, along with others, ran five marijuana farms in the area.
His underage son was stopped at a police check in San Miguel de Salinas on September 1 while he was making drug deliveries on his electric scooter.
Nine homes were raided on September 28 in Torrevieja, San Miguel de Salinas, Crevillente, Agost, and on the Orihuela Costa plus properties in the Cartagena and Balsicas areas of Murcia.
Weapons, drugs, and cash totalling over €70,000 were removed along with marijuana plants and other drugs.
Nine men, including the British man and his son, were detained along with two women.
Three of the gang leaders were jailed after appearing in an Elche court.
The Guardia investigation started in January when two parcels of drugs destined for France were intercepted at Alicante-Elche airport.
Packages were also found a few weeks later at Valencia airport, ear-marked for the Netherlands.
A first phase of arrests took place in March, including the package senders and a Russian man, 26, who ran an illegal cannabis club on the Orihuela Costa.
READ MORE:
- British gang grew marijuana and ran drugs mail-order service from Costa Blanca area of Spain
- British man arrested as Costa Blanca marijuana gang shipped drugs from Spain to UK and Dutch customers
- British marijuana farmer gets third drugs arrest for running indoor plantation on Spain’s Costa Blanca
