Spanish Police Crack Down on Cocaine Smuggling Ring Using Young Swimmers to Ship Drugs Across the Sea.
In a daring operation, Spanish authorities have dismantled a notorious cocaine smuggling ring that had been using an audacious tactic to bring massive quantities of the illicit substance into Spain from Colombia. The gang would hire teams of young, skilled swimmers – often lured by false promises of easy money – to conceal the cocaine within containers on European-bound ships.
The 15-month investigation began when police discovered a whopping 88kg of cocaine in a vehicle in Mijas, southern Spain. This led authorities to uncover a complex web of three gangs, including a Balkan cartel, working in tandem to smuggle enormous amounts of cocaine into the country.
According to sources, the 'monkey' technique employed by these traffickers involves employing youngsters with excellent swimming skills to sneak the cocaine onto ships while they're at sea. Once on board, the ship would sail through treacherous waters and avoid detection until it reached the Spanish strait of Gibraltar, where the gangs would then intercept and relieve their unwitting cargo.
Spanish authorities thwarted several attempts by these smugglers in various parts of Europe, including an incident last year when a ship off the coast of Cádiz was found to have 1.4 tonnes of cocaine hidden among its crew members. Despite multiple close calls, the gang remained elusive – until now.
As part of their investigation, police discovered five men using speedboats and a 'drop-off' method to collect their illicit cargo. The latter tactic involves tossing the contraband from a merchant ship into smaller vessels near the destination country, subduing the crew, extracting the cocaine, and using military-grade equipment to do so.
Following a prolonged sting operation, police have arrested 30 individuals and seized an astonishing 2.5 tonnes of cocaine – nearly as much as had been smuggled in during the entire previous year. Additionally, authorities seized over €166,000 in cash, high-end vehicles, assault weapons, nautical equipment, and valuables worth €100,000.
The largest-ever seizure of cocaine at sea was announced by the Spanish police just days ago, when a cargo ship off the Canary Islands yielded almost 10 tonnes of the illicit substance. It appears these smugglers may have left themselves vulnerable to law enforcement – for now.
In a daring operation, Spanish authorities have dismantled a notorious cocaine smuggling ring that had been using an audacious tactic to bring massive quantities of the illicit substance into Spain from Colombia. The gang would hire teams of young, skilled swimmers – often lured by false promises of easy money – to conceal the cocaine within containers on European-bound ships.
The 15-month investigation began when police discovered a whopping 88kg of cocaine in a vehicle in Mijas, southern Spain. This led authorities to uncover a complex web of three gangs, including a Balkan cartel, working in tandem to smuggle enormous amounts of cocaine into the country.
According to sources, the 'monkey' technique employed by these traffickers involves employing youngsters with excellent swimming skills to sneak the cocaine onto ships while they're at sea. Once on board, the ship would sail through treacherous waters and avoid detection until it reached the Spanish strait of Gibraltar, where the gangs would then intercept and relieve their unwitting cargo.
Spanish authorities thwarted several attempts by these smugglers in various parts of Europe, including an incident last year when a ship off the coast of Cádiz was found to have 1.4 tonnes of cocaine hidden among its crew members. Despite multiple close calls, the gang remained elusive – until now.
As part of their investigation, police discovered five men using speedboats and a 'drop-off' method to collect their illicit cargo. The latter tactic involves tossing the contraband from a merchant ship into smaller vessels near the destination country, subduing the crew, extracting the cocaine, and using military-grade equipment to do so.
Following a prolonged sting operation, police have arrested 30 individuals and seized an astonishing 2.5 tonnes of cocaine – nearly as much as had been smuggled in during the entire previous year. Additionally, authorities seized over €166,000 in cash, high-end vehicles, assault weapons, nautical equipment, and valuables worth €100,000.
The largest-ever seizure of cocaine at sea was announced by the Spanish police just days ago, when a cargo ship off the Canary Islands yielded almost 10 tonnes of the illicit substance. It appears these smugglers may have left themselves vulnerable to law enforcement – for now.
what kinda desperation is that? and then you got the 'monkey' technique where they pay youngsters to hide cocaine on ships while in the middle of the sea... sounds like a recipe for disaster 
and its awesome that they were able to outsmart these smugglers who thought they could evade detection. gotta respect the cops for doin their job 
"The greatest danger to freedom is the lack of it." - John F. Kennedy 
These 'young swimmer' scammers think they can outrun justice? They gotta be smokin' their own dope 
No wonder they got caught – greed always catches up with ya.
Like, what's next? Sending kittens to deliver packages on bikes? 
These smugglers are like the Ocean's Eleven crew without the charm... or common sense! 
They thought they could just use a bunch of young swimmers and avoid detection? Please, Spanish authorities are like the superheroes of sea-faring crime-fighting 
. And let me ask you, who would've thought that speedboats and military-grade equipment would be used to extract cocaine from cargo ships? Sounds like something out of a Bond villain's playbook 
.
they used young swimmers to ship drugs across sea? that's so messed up 
and the 'monkey' technique is just ridiculous - who comes up with this stuff? 
. And what's up with the €166k in cash? That just means more bad guys getting richer off the backs of their victims 
.