Narco network leader captured in Punta Cana: Operation Fast Lap results in 27 arrests
Operation Fast Lap, coordinated by Europol, concluded with 26 arrests in Spain and one in the Dominican Republic. Alleged leader Jonathan Yera Pozo was detained in Punta Cana.
Operation Fast Lap: arrest of narco network chief in Punta Cana following Europol investigation
According to moncloa.com, Spain's National Police and Civil Guard, with support from Europol, dismantled an international drug trafficking and money laundering network that resulted in 27 arrests and the seizure of 95 properties and over 200 moveable assets across several countries.
The alleged ringleader, Jonathan Yera Pozo, aged 41, was captured in Punta Cana in the east of the Dominican Republic during a search ordered by the Dominican Supreme Court of Justice for extradition purposes. He remains in the custody of Dominican authorities whilst legal proceedings advance for his transfer to Spain.
Twenty-six detentions in Spain, one in the Dominican Republic
The operation, called Fast Lap, concluded with 26 arrests in Spanish territory—in Madrid, Málaga, Ibiza, Pontevedra, Almería and León—and one additional arrest on Dominican soil. Europol, the European Union agency that centralises police cooperation between member states, coordinated the operation.
The investigation began in September 2023 on the basis of tracing encrypted messages, which allowed agents to reconstruct the organisation's logistics. The network introduced cocaine from Colombia and Panama into Europe via sea containers, using methods known in police terminology as "blind hook", "rip off" and "pregnant": techniques that consist of concealing illicit goods within legal cargo. Enquiries linked the organisation to four seizures in Panama that exceeded 1,500 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Investments in luxury properties in Ibiza, Marbella and Dubai
Beyond trafficking, the network had built a financial structure to integrate illicit profits into the formal economy. Spanish authorities identified commercial companies linked to the real estate sector that those under investigation allegedly used to invest in developments, entire urbanisations and luxury properties.
Ibiza, Marbella, the Costa del Sol and Madrid concentrated the majority of these operations, which also extended to the Dominican Republic and Dubai. As a result of the investigation, authorities seized 95 properties and approximately 200 moveable assets linked to those under investigation, a financial blow aimed at cutting off the organisation's funding.
Investigators describe the model as "crime as a service": the organisation lent its companies and financial mechanisms to conceal assets of third parties in exchange for commissions.
Telephones, luxury watches and cryptocurrencies in the search
At the Punta Cana property and in several vehicles, Dominican authorities seized telephones, electronic equipment, three cold wallets for cryptocurrencies, seven high-end watches, jewellery, documentation and approximately 13,000 dollars in cash.
Forty-two simultaneous searches in various countries
The operation included 42 simultaneous searches across various countries, according to a statement from the Dominican Public Ministry. Spain's Interior Ministry lists drug trafficking and money laundering amongst the priority threats in its security strategy.
The operation involved the DEA—the United States drug enforcement agency—Spain's National Police, the UCO (Central Operative Unit of the Civil Guard specialised in organised crime), the Global Drug Information Network, Europol and Dominican authorities.
Extradition pending and further arrests not ruled out
The investigation remains open. Spanish authorities are maintaining their extradition request for Yera Pozo, and further arrests in the countries involved are not ruled out. Pressure on the network's financial channels will continue with the cooperation of Europol, the DEA and the specialised units of the National Police and Civil Guard.
Source: Google News DO — Crime