FIVE relatives of an alleged drug kingpin have been arrested in Cadiz as the Guardia Civil swooped on a suspected narco money-laundering scheme.
Officers seized three properties worth around €730,000 during raids across the Sierra de Cadiz and Granada on Thursday, along with more than €165,000 in bundles of cash – some stashed in shoeboxes.
The suspects have been identified as the parents, sister, cousin and partner of the alleged mastermind behind a Cadiz-based drug trafficking network dismantled by the Guardia Civil last year.
All six are now set to appear before a judge in Arcos de la Frontera, facing allegations that they acted as fronts to conceal vast wealth derived from the scheme.
The alleged kingpin, named by authorities as S.E.G., is said to have boasted about controlling all trafficking points and drug dealers in the area, according to media reports.
He was among 18 people arrested during several raids last May, when officers also seized around 7kg of cocaine and 700g of heroin.
Far from keeping a low profile, the 32-year-old was reportedly spotted driving luxury vehicles and buying multiple properties before his arrest.
The drug boss allegedly maintained a lavish lifestyle while registered with Spain’s social security system as an agricultural worker, multiple sources told The Olive Press.
He is also said to have built a tight-knit network of associates that allowed him to control drug trafficking across the Sierra de Cadiz.
The Guardia Civil investigation that led to S.E.G.’s arrest began last year with raids on around 30 suspected drug exchange points.
Among those arrested in the so-called ‘Gongora’ operation was a 20-year-old couple with a young child, witnesses told this newspaper.
In a follow-up phase of the investigation last January, a further 27 people were arrested and three homes were searched in connection with money laundering.
The organisation’s sophisticated system, known as ‘telecoca,’ allegedly helped it evade police detection, with dealers meeting clients directly while carrying small amounts of drugs to claim personal use if caught.
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