Spain Announces the “Biggest-ever Seizure” of Crystal Meth

Spanish police announced on Thursday that they had confiscated 1.8 tons of crystal meth. The drugs were being sold in Europe by Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. This is the largest amount of drugs ever seized in the country.

According to a statement, the police arrested five individuals during a raid in the eastern Alicante province. One of the arrested individuals was a Mexican who was in charge of running the cartel’s operations in Spain.

“According to Antonio Martinez Duarte, the head of the police’s drug trafficking and organized crime unit, this is the largest seizure of crystal meth ever in Spain and the second largest in Europe,” he told reporters.

“One of the people arrested is a Mexican citizen who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel,” he said. The person did not provide their name, but they said that the suspect was responsible for receiving drugs in Spain and then distributing them in Europe.

Martínez stated that the group stored the smuggled shipments of methamphetamines in houses located in isolated areas in the Valencia region. They then used vehicles with hidden compartments to transport the drugs to other European countries.

Police shared a video on social media that shows officers taking out bags of drugs. The drugs were hidden inside machinery and fake vehicle bottoms.

The Sinaloa Cartel is a criminal group in Mexico that has been around for a long time. It is one of the biggest and most violent groups, but its power has not been affected by the arrest of its founder, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, and his son.

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Both individuals have been sent back to the United States and are currently in prison. Last month, a federal judge denied “El Chapo’s” request to make phone calls and have visits with his young daughters.

During the operation, the police arrested three people from Spain and one person from Romania. They also confiscated five cars, documents, a weapon, and cash.

According to the police, they think it was a single instance of trafficking and that Mexican organizations are not permanently located in Spain, as stated by Martinez Duarte.

“These organizations send someone they trust to carry out the operation according to their interests,” he explained. “Once the operation is completed, the person returns home.”

The drugs that were confiscated were supposed to be sent to central Europe. Spain is a major entry point for drugs into Europe. However, seizures of synthetic narcotics are rare because most traffickers focus on cannabis and cocaine.

In December, the Spanish authorities found and took away 11 tons of cocaine that was hidden inside shipping containers. They also arrested 20 people. Police in northwestern Spain found a homemade semi-submersible vessel, also known as a “narco sub,” that they believed was used to transport cocaine. This happened nine months before the incident you mentioned.