Law enforcement authorities in six countries have dismantled a “super cartel” of drug traffickers that controlled about a third of Europe’s cocaine trade and arrested 49 suspects, Europol said on Monday.
In a statement, Europol said 49 people were arrested during the investigation, with the latest operations carried out in Europe and the United Arab Emirates between November 8 and 19.
According to the European police service, the police forces involved in “Operation Desert Light” attacked both the “command and control center and the logistics infrastructure of drug trafficking in Europe.”
More than 30 tons of drugs were seized during investigations carried out in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates with the support of Europol.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration also played a significant role in taking down the organization, which was also involved in money laundering, according to Europol.
“The scale of cocaine imports into Europe under the control and command of the suspects was enormous,” according to Europol, adding that the suspects used encrypted communications to organize the drug shipments.
The Netherlands was the country where the most arrests were made, with 14 suspects in 2021.
Europol also said six “high value targets” were detained in Dubai.
In 2020, more than 214 tons of cocaine were seized, 6% more than the previous year, and experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction estimate that the amount could reach 300 tons in 2022.
Source: TSF
