Alex Trelinski
A SEVEN month probe into a family-led drugs trafficking gang has produced 40 arrests in Valencia and Madrid.
The Policia Nacional described the operation as one of the biggest strikes against drug trafficking in recent years in the Valencia metropolitan area.
Officers also seized 57 fighting cocks from a house that was used to breed the birds.
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The property also had a combat ring where the animals were trained to fight.
Authorities started inquiries last September into a family based in the Nazaret area of Valencia City.
They were in contact with Madrid area traffickers who used their network to provide the family with drugs to be sold in Valencia.
Narcotics were transported in a vehicle with specially created compartments to conceal the illegal goods.
18 addresses were searched resulting in the seizure of more than 13 kilograms of cocaine, 105 grams of hashish, 560 grams of marijuana, approximately €118,000 in cash, five firearms, three knives, and 16 vehicles.
The detainees- including nine women- are aged between 19 and 73 years and seven of them were remanded into custody.
They have been charged with drug trafficking, membership of a criminal gang, the illegal possession of weapons, and violations animal welfare laws.
