Walter Finch
THE latest Marbella-based international drug-trafficking mafia to bite the dust is a Dutch Mocro Mafia-linked gang caught red-handed in a shopping centre car park.
The Policia Nacional seized nearly a tonne (873 kg) of cocaine from five suspects who were in the process of moving it from a vehicle to a van.
Police video shows a series of duffle bags in the back of the vehicle containing 759 bricks of high-purity, cocaine marked with Satanic branding.
All five have been immediately imprisoned following a court appearance.
The operation, which began in August 2024 as part of the Meridional Plan, involved close cooperation between Spanish authorities and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Investigators tracked a shipping container from Ecuador to Algeciras port, where the drugs entered Spain.
The crime group, with significant connections to the powerful Mocro Mafia, had been using maritime containers to transport massive cocaine shipments, deliberately choosing this method to maximize profits while minimizing costs.
The Mocro Mafia is a large and violent criminal network originating from the Netherlands and Belgium, primarily composed of individuals of Moroccan and North African descent.
READ MORE: Belgian man arrested in Spain’s Marbella for boarding a bus with MULTIPLE guns and ammunition.
Deeply involved in drug trafficking, they appear to have turned to the port of Algeciras to import cocaine after previously being notorious for using the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp as key entry points.
Police surveillance revealed that the gang members had traveled to the Costa del Sol from various European countries to coordinate the cocaine shipment.
Officers finally pounced when they observed suspects in a luxury vehicle acting as a lookout while others transferred the drugs to a van.
In addition to the cocaine, police seized €5,690 in cash, 12 mobile phones (some encrypted), and three luxury vehicles.
International arrest warrants have been issued for three other gang members who remain at large, including a logistics leader of the organization.
The operation was co-financed by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund as part of broader efforts to combat organized crime across Europe.
Southern Spain—particularly Marbella and the Costa del Sol—is a crucial hub for Mocro Mafia activity.
The region is a meeting point for international criminals, a place to launder money through luxury real estate, and a safe haven where kingpins can hide while still operating their networks.
