In a long-term investigation supported by Europol, law enforcement authorities from Belgium, Colombia, and Spain have dismantled a drug ring orchestrating large-scale cocaine trafficking from Colombia to the EU.
The national authorities involved arrested 32 individuals in total, including the leader of the network.
Law enforcement also seized 5.8 tonnes of cocaine in Colombia (Cartagena and Barranquilla) and on European soil in Spain (Barcelona and Valencia) and Belgium (Antwerp). Europol’s Operational Taskforce coordinated the sting.
This operation follows the arrests of two high-profile Camorra fugitives, falling under different investigations made in October in Colombia.
International cooperation established between Europol and strategic countries in South America, such as Colombia, has proven essential for the advancement of large-scale investigations and the dismantlement of criminal cartels smuggling tonnes of cocaine to Europe.
This cooperation is a key element of successful law enforcement operations targeting drug trafficking and serious and organised crime networks, impacting citizens’ security in the EU and beyond. Â
The investigation, conducted under Europol’s Operational Taskforce targeting the large-scale cocaine trafficking from source countries in Latin America, was initiated in April 2023. The operational activities focused on identifying how the network operated and who was behind it.
The analysis of operational information gathered during the seizures identified that most of the criminal network members were based in Spain and Colombia.
On the action day this week, the Colombian National Police arrested individuals playing different major roles within the organisation. Among the six suspects are the alleged ringleader, investors, coordinators of the trafficking operations, corrupted authorities and workers along the logistical chain. Â
The investigation uncovered that the targeted drug cartel was capable of exporting significant amounts of cocaine through commercial vessels. The suspects used different maritime routes. They concealed cocaine inside containers and then shipped the cargo to European ports from several Colombian harbours, such as Cartagena and Barranquilla.
Maritime trafficking and commercial vessels play a crucial role in the large-scale exportation of narcotics.
The ring members collaborated with corrupt authorities to avoid police and customs controls during the different phases of the cocaine trafficking. Identifying and intercepting the corrupted officials was crucial in dismantling this cartel’s full chain of command and logistical organisation.
Large-scale drug trafficking requires complex logistical organisation, drug cartels tend to corrupt authorities to facilitate drug trafficking along the different phases, from production to exportation.
