Operation Trident in Huelva: ten arrested, 10,600 kilos of hashish and assault rifles
The Spanish Guardia Civil and Portuguese GNR dismantle a drug trafficking network in Ayamonte with 10,600 kg of hashish and three firearms. Ten arrested on both sides of the Guadiana.
Blow to drug trafficking on the Guadiana: ten arrested and over ten tonnes of hashish seized
The Spanish Guardia Civil and the Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) have dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to drug trafficking that used the course of the Guadiana River as an entry route for drugs into the Iberian Peninsula. According to reports, the so-called Operation Trident concluded with ten arrests, the seizure of 10,600 kilogrammes of hashish distributed in 265 packages, nine vehicles seized and three firearms found ready to fire.
The first operation took place in the early hours of 20 August in the municipality of Ayamonte, province of Huelva. A Guardia Civil surveillance unit located a so-called 'stash house'—a property used for clandestine storage of drugs—in which three members of the network were guarding the shipment. Officers arrested them by surprise and searched the premises.
Inside the Ayamonte building, 132 packages of hashish weighing a total of 5,280 kilogrammes were seized. The warehouse also served as a logistics base for distributing the drug throughout Spain and the rest of Europe. Among the vehicles found at the location, six were seized and five were reported as stolen; all had been structurally modified for transporting and concealing drugs.
The danger posed by the group was confirmed by the discovery of two firearms: a pistol and an assault rifle, both with ammunition and ready for use in case of confrontation or to repel attacks from rival gangs. The three arrested individuals were brought before the courts on suspicion of drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, vehicle theft and forgery. The judge ordered them remanded in custody pending trial.
Two days later, on 22 August, the Guardia Civil and GNR deployed a joint operation on the Portuguese bank of the Guadiana. In a second 'stash house' located at a strategic point on the Portuguese side, they seized another 133 packages of hashish—5,320 kilogrammes—three additional vehicles and a third pistol. The suspects attempted to flee by boat, but an air, sea and land operation intercepted them in the river and arrested seven people.
The seven arrested in Portugal appeared before the judicial authorities on 24 August; the court likewise ordered them remanded in custody. With the conclusion of Operation Trident, the security forces of both countries have dismantled one of the most active criminal structures in the south-western peninsula, dealing a significant blow to the networks seeking to establish the Guadiana as an alternative route for drug trafficking.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)