THE Guardia Civil has busted a British narco gang that transported cocaine from the Costa del Sol to the UK.

One tonne of narcotics was seized during Operation Miscellaneous along with weapons used to protect supply routes.

A British man has been detained while five international arrest warrants have been issued against the gang members who have fled Spain.

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The Guardia Civil said the criminals were based at an Estepona property which they used as a clearing centre for the cocaine.

The narcotics were then taken to different ports across the country via high-cylinder vehicles and large vans before being shipped by sea to Britain.

The Guardia investigation started after a van was intercepted in Talavera La Real (Badajoz).

Inside were 17 sports bags containing 423 kilos of cocaine.

The driver fled but inquiries revealed the van had come from Estepona, leading to a surveillance operation at various addresses.

A second interception happened a few days earlier when a suspicious vehicle was being tracked on an industrial estate in Baza (Granada).

The British driver was arrested after the officers found 326 kilos of cocaine hidden in several suitcases, and a court remanded him into custody.

After the Baza intervention, the other five gang members got out of Spain before the Guardia swooped on their Estepona base.

They found an additional 265 kilos of cocaine at the address, as well as drug packing and sealing gear.

In addition an arsenal of weapons was seized including a rifle, a sub-machine gun, a semi-automatic handgun, and a large amount of ammunition.

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