(Madrid) Spanish police announced Thursday that they had seized 1,800 kilos of methamphetamine that one of the two most formidable Mexican cartels, the Sinaloa cartel, was trying to distribute in Europe, and arrested five people, including the Mexican leader of the operation.
The drug was discovered in the Alicante region in eastern Spain, and it is “the largest seizure” of the drug “in Spain and the second largest in Europe”, announced Antonio Martínez Duarte, head of the drug trafficking and organized crime unit of the National Police, during a press conference.
“Among those arrested is a Mexican citizen, who is linked to the Sinaloa cartel according to our discussions with the Mexican authorities,” he continued without naming the suspect, responsible for receiving the drugs in Spain and then delivering them. distribute in Europe.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of Mexico’s oldest, largest and most violent criminal groups, whose influence remains strong despite the arrest of its founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, or more recent, of his son Ovidio, in January 2023. Both were extradited and imprisoned in the United States.
Police also seized cash, five cars, papers and a firearm.
A Romanian and three Spaniards were arrested, in addition to the Mexican at the head of the operation.
The Spanish police believe that this was “one-off” drug trafficking and that “Mexican organizations are not permanently established” in Spain: “These organizations send a trusted man responsible for monitoring that the operation is in line with their interests” and once finished, “he returns” to Mexico.
The drugs seized came from Mexico and were destined for central Europe.
Spain is one of the main gateways for drugs on the continent.