Spanish police have broken up an international a gang that transported tons of cannabis from Spain to Germany.
The drugs were hidden under lemons. During the operation, 21 houses were searched in the German cities of Wiesbaden, St. Augustin and Munich, as well as 13 apartments in the Spanish city of Marbella and its surroundings, reports " Bild", quoted by bTV.
The latest large-scale operation was a joint operation by the Spanish police, the German customs service and the police of France.
According to the Spanish police, the investigation has revealed links between the organization and prominent members of the Hells Angels – an international outlaw motorcycle club.
Among them are Germans and Spaniards, but also Albanians and Bulgarians. All identified individuals already known to have criminal records for drug trafficking.
21 people between the ages of 22 and 45 are suspected of being part of the international group. They are suspected of making millions from drug deliveries.
"The leaders of the network are two Germans of Iranian and Moroccan origin. They ran a restaurant in the Spanish coastal town of Puerto Banus, where they held meetings with other drug traffickers.
They were guarded by armed Colombians who were supposed to protect them from attacks by other criminal organizations or from attempts to steal their drugs,", commented the Spanish police.
In June 2023: in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, police find 30 kilograms of weed in crates of lemons destined for a company in the city of Wiesbaden, in the state of Hesse.
„About 320 kilograms of hashish and almost 540 kilograms of marijuana were seized in Bischofsheim. Much of the drugs were hidden under pallets full of lemons. Three more men were arrested," commented German police spokeswoman Laura Kaufmann-Konrad.
During further searches, investigators found 130 kg of marijuana, 20 kg of hashish and clothing with the Hell’s Angels emblem.
„In carrying out its activities, the group shows an extremely high potential for violence. Conflicts with rival criminals are characterized by arson, attempted murders, extortion and forced detention of people, the federal police said.
In the last operation of the Spanish police, 180,000 euros, 7 firearms, ammunition of different calibers and 30 kilograms of marijuana were confiscated.