Police have raided luxury villas and yachts in a crackdown on a Dutch cocaine gang after a £163 million ($214m) drug haul was found hidden in boxes of bananas.
Spain’s Guardia Civil has been conducting an ongoing investigation, called Operation Cetil, targeting the cocaine trade on the Costa del Sol for the last few years.
This culminated in armed raids in Spain and the Netherlands, uncovering a gang comprising arms dealers, murderers and former soldiers who were running Europe’s largest cocaine operation, officials say.
Eight Dutch citizens were arrested, including a number of “high value targets” who had been under police surveillance for over a year.
Over a number of months, the Guardia Civil uncovered millions of pounds of cocaine hidden inside boxes of bananas and sport bags, which arrived into Spanish ports from South America.
Despite the seizures, officials said the gang members continued operations while living luxury lifestyles on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain. They called the crime ring “the most active criminal organisation in the introduction of cocaine in Europe”.
“The Civil Guard, in the Cetil operation, has dismantled an important international criminal organisation, which is directly responsible for the introduction of more than 6,000 kilograms of cocaine from South America, through different parts of the European continent,” a representative said.
“Despite the continuous losses suffered, the criminal group continued to manage and order new shipments of cocaine, establishing its base of operations, for more direct management, between the provinces of Valencia and Malaga to introduce large consignments of narcotic drugs as a gateway to Europe.
“About 3,200 kilograms of this was seized by the Civil Guard in different maritime shipments made between March and June.
“The nucleus of this organisation was based in the Netherlands, but its members travelled and met in Spain to organise and plan the different shipments of narcotic substances from South America.”
“The continuous change of residence between ostentatious urbanisations of Marbella and Benalmádena and the use of luxurious boats, credited the criminal degree of its members in view of their high standard of living.”
Officials said nine raids in Valencia and Malaga and in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and Papendrech, which took place last week, resulted in the seizure of high-value jewels and €40,000 ($47,470) in cash.
It said a total of 6,000kg of cocaine was recovered, with an estimated street value of £163m ($214m), and “abundant” documentation found linking the group to “large-scale international drug trafficking”.
Last December, Dutch crime lord Ridouan Taghi was arrested in Dubai for his alleged role in Malaga’s cocaine trade. It is alleged he was behind a third of all cocaine coming into Europe.
It is not known if the latest arrests are linked to Taghi.
“Throughout the investigation, it was possible to corroborate that several of its members had a wide variety of antecedents for serious crimes such as arms trafficking, extortion and even homicide,” the Guardia Civil said.
“It was a perfectly hierarchical organisation with different roles for each one of its components, counting in its logistics and support apparatus with personnel with military training and experience in war missions, mainly in charge of counter-surveillance at its meetings.”
“This counter-surveillance was carried out by personnel with extensive knowledge of telecommunications devices, even developing their own encrypted messaging apps, which were not only used to communicate between the members of the criminal group, but also with the different South American cartels, suppliers of the narcotic, which all this together greatly slowed down the work of the agents.”
The international operation included Europe’s crime agency Europol, Dutch police and US Homeland Security Investigations and Border Protection.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Confederations Cup Group B
Germany v Chile
Kick-off: Thursday, 10pm (UAE)
Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
Watch live: Abu Dhabi Sports HD
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on animal trafficking
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKenneth%20W%20Harl%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHanover%20Square%20Press%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E576%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
