21 kilograms of heroin seized in supermarket bags at hotel café in Gran Canaria
The National Police dismantled a criminal organisation with 21 kg of heroin concealed in plastic bags inside a hotel in Las Palmas. Four detainees were remanded in custody.
Four arrested following seizure of 21 kilograms of heroin at hotel café in Las Palmas
The National Police have dismantled a criminal organisation allegedly dedicated to international heroin trafficking after seizing 21 kilograms of the substance in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, according to ABC. Officers intercepted the four members of the group as they were conducting the transaction in a hotel café, in broad daylight, with the drug concealed in supermarket plastic bags inside a suitcase.
The four detainees have been remanded in custody on charges of membership of a criminal organisation and offences against public health, after being presented to the judicial authority.
Two couples with defined roles travelled from Toledo
The investigation began as a result of inquiries into a criminal structure that allegedly attempted to open a new distribution channel for heroin to the Iberian Peninsula. Officers identified two couples who had travelled from Toledo to Las Palmas on the same flight, although occupying separate seats.
Once on the island, both couples adopted numerous security measures: they stayed in different hotels at distant locations from each other, avoiding any visible contact so as not to arouse suspicion about their relationship.
Roles divided: reception and transport
Investigators determined that the organisation had clearly distributed the roles of its members. One of the couples was responsible for receiving the heroin in the archipelago, whilst the other assumed its subsequent transfer to the peninsula, for which they had rental vehicles intended for the transport of the drug once the acquisition had been completed.
The operation culminated with two raids on addresses in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which resulted in the detention of the four alleged perpetrators.
New route detected to the Iberian Peninsula
The National Police described the operation as a "relevant advance" in the fight against heroin trafficking, having made it possible to identify a new route for the introduction and transit of this substance to the Iberian Peninsula. The discovery, according to the institution, demonstrates the constant evolution of organisations dedicated to drug trafficking, which modify methods and routes to hinder police action.
The investigation remains open whilst officers continue to analyse this new distribution route.
Source: ABC