THREE men have been arrested after police shut down an illegal drug den on the Costa del Sol.
The suspects, aged 32, 47 and 63, are accused of dealing cocaine from a flat in Estepona, where punters could allegedly buy doses and take them inside to use.
Spain’s Policia Nacional seized 114 bags of cocaine weighing a combined 11.5 grams during a raid on the property, along with an air rifle and a haul of electric scooters and bikes which officers believe may have been stolen.
The flat was tucked away near Estepona’s landmark Orchidarium botanical park and had become a major headache for neighbours, according to police.
READ MORE: Tenerife taxi driver jailed after German holidaymaker, 22, sexually assaulted following night out
Officers said it had turned into a hotspot for brawls and a place where goods stolen in petty thefts and burglaries were exchanged for drugs.
The operation, dubbed Mayday, began after police received information about suspected street-level dealing at the property.
Detectives from the UDYCO-Costa del Sol unit then kept the flat under discreet surveillance.
They spotted a constant stream of customers coming and going to buy their fixes – with some allegedly staying behind to take the drugs inside.
Police also stopped several suspected customers near the property and seized drugs from them.
The arrests helped investigators build up evidence against the gang before a judge authorised a search of the flat.
When officers stormed the property, they found the cocaine already divided into individual doses, ready to hit the streets.
Police said the raid has brought an end to a ‘very active’ drug-dealing point in central Estepona.
The suspects are now being investigated for a public health offence, police said.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
