Spanish police said they had broken up one of the world's most significant cocaine trafficking networks, seizing 10 tons of the drug and arresting five suspects in a joint operation, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
Police said three arrests were made in Spain and two in Colombia during seven raids, without specifying the locations or where the drugs were found. The investigation was conducted with the help of Colombian authorities.
The network smuggled about 120 tons of cocaine a year from Colombia to Europe through ports in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, police said.
The traffickers are said to have links to Colombia's Clan del Golfo (Clan of the Gulf), one of the largest criminal groups involved in the global cocaine trade.
Police said the drug ring operated through shell companies, front men and other sophisticated smuggling schemes. The ring's leaders coordinated operations from Colombia, Spain and Dubai.
A specialized unit within the organization laundered money through offshore companies. Cryptocurrency transactions totaling about $700 million were recorded.
The breach was made after investigators gained access to encrypted messages sent via the Sky ECC app. The investigation, which began in 2022, was codenamed "Gulupa" (which is how the passion fruit is called in Colombia).