by Law enforcement agencies across Europe have joined forces to blast a “super cartel” of drug traffickers who control about a third of Europe’s cocaine trade, European authorities said on Monday.
The series of raids took place in six countries across Europe and the United Arab Emirates between November 8 and 19, resulting in 49 arrests, Europol said.
Dubbed “Operation Desert Light,” the investigation targeted the cartel’s “command and control center and logistical infrastructure of drug trafficking in Europe,” according to the agency.
“The scale of cocaine imports into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was enormous and over 30 tons of drugs were seized by law enforcement in the course of the investigation,” Europol said, adding that the suspects used encrypted communications to organize drug shipments .
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Authorities arrested 13 suspects in Spain, 6 in France, 10 in Belgium and 14 in the Netherlands in 2021. Europol said six “high value targets” were also arrested in Dubai.
(Europol)
The US Drug Enforcement Administration also played a role in toppling the organization, which was also involved in money laundering, Europol said.
Dubbed “Operation Desert Light,” the investigation targeted the cartel’s “command and control center and logistical infrastructure of drug trafficking in Europe,” according to the agency.
(Europol)
Authorities arrested 13 suspects in Spain, six in France, ten in Belgium and 14 in the Netherlands in 2021. Europol said six “high value targets” were also arrested in Dubai.
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Record amounts of cocaine seized in Europe Its availability on the continent has never been higher, with extremely high purity and low prices.
The series of raids took place in six countries across Europe and the United Arab Emirates between November 8 and 19, resulting in 49 arrests, Europol said.
(Europol)
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More than 214 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the region in 2020, a 6% increase from the previous year, and experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction believe the quantity could reach 300 tonnes (330 tonnes) in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
