SPANISH police have seized almost a tonne of MDMA – the largest haul of the drug ever recorded in Europe – hidden inside a crane bound for West Africa.
Policia Nacional say the bust has dismantled a Dutch criminal network operating all along the Costa del Sol, first identified by investigators in early 2025.
Police kicked down doors in multiple towns in expat heavy hotspots along the Malaga coastline, making five arrests in Torremolinos, three in Fuengirola, one in Mijas, one in Marbella and one in Estepona – as well as one in Sevilla.
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The organisation is accused of trafficking synthetic drugs, cocaine and marijuana internationally, and of laundering the profits.
The MDMA was headed for Ghana, from where it was to be shipped on to Latin America, traded directly for cocaine, and shipped back into Europe through Spanish ports.
From October 2025, several of the organisation’s leading figures relocated to the Netherlands, prompting Policia Nacional to form a joint investigation team with Dutch police.
Officers then discovered the group was preparing to ship a large quantity of synthetic drugs out of the Belgian port of Antwerp, hidden inside a crane bound for Ghana.
Spanish and Dutch authorities moved together on January 28, 2026, once the shipment date was confirmed, stopping the cargo before it left port and seizing the drugs in full.
Twelve raids followed: eight in Malaga province, two in Sevilla, one in Granada and one in the Netherlands.
Among the haul were 859 kilos of pure MDMA and a further 88 kilos of ecstasy pills, which together make up the near-tonne total.
Officers also recovered 644 marijuana plants, more than five kilos of buds, 1.3 kilos of hashish, 34 packages of cannabis derivatives, more than €46,000 in cash, three firearms, three luxury cars and five high-end watches.
Three indoor marijuana growing operations were also dismantled.
Investigators say the group funded much of its activity by shipping marijuana from the Costa del Sol to other European countries, using vehicles fitted with hidden compartments and international parcel firms.
Fifteen people were arrested in total, facing charges of drug trafficking, membership of a criminal organisation — a Spanish offence covering coordinated group crime that carries tougher sentences than acting alone — illegally siphoning electricity, and illegal possession of firearms.
Twelve of the 15 have already been remanded in custody by a Spanish court.
The investigation remains open, and Policia Nacional say further arrests have not been ruled out.
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