A NOTORIOUS Mexican cartel that slipped crystal meth into Europe by concealing it in marble statues delivered to Spain has been smashed by police following a series of dramatic raids.
Agents from the Policia Nacional, working alongside the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), have dismantled what is described as the continent’s ‘main supply point’ for synthetic drugs, arresting nine people in the process.
The operation has uncovered a sprawling criminal network operating out of key expat hubs, including Malaga and Alicante, where gang members were living among British and European residents.
Police struck a major blow against the Sinaloa cartel – long a blood-chilling name in Mexico – and its criminal infrastructure in Europe during the coordinated swoop.
They even discovered a bunker hidden beneath a marble warehouse floor stuffed with nearly €3 million in cash.
The gang had been using the stone import business as a front, hollowing out marble blocks and statues shipped from Mexico to conceal massive quantities of methamphetamine.
Raids were carried out across the country, with officers storming one property in Malaga, three in Alicante, two in Valencia and one in Madrid.
In one significant bust, investigators intercepted a one and a half metre statue destined for Tenerife.
Inside the base of the sculpture, agents found 40kg of meth, leading to the immediate arrest of the recipient, a ‘historic’ drug trafficker on the island.
The investigation also led police to a flat in Madrid, where a member of the Sinaloa cartel was found hiding out.
The man, who barely left the apartment, was reportedly on a salary of €2,500 a month just to stay silent after guarding a previous shipment of 1,800kg of drugs seized in Alicante last year.
Investigators successfully identified the marble company owner who allegedly facilitated the smuggling route.
It was at one of his industrial warehouses that the underground safe containing the millions in cash was located.
Police also seized luxury watches, mobile phones and ammunition during the searches.
Three of the nine detainees have been sent directly to prison, with authorities declaring the ‘most powerful’ synthetic drug network in Europe completely dismantled.
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