A network capable of transporting up to 6 tons of cocaine per year through the north of Spain and other European countries hidden in vehicle’s hidden compartments has been dismantled. The illegal workshops where the cars were prepared were located in Parla and Fuenlabrada, and thirteen individuals have been arrested in different provinces, with 28 concealed vehicles seized.
Investigators estimate that the dismantled network could move up to six tons of cocaine per year from South America, with destinations in the Cantabrian coast, Italy, Portugal, and Germany, as reported by the General Directorate of the Civil Guard this Sunday.
For the drug transportation, the organization used vehicles with hidden compartments (caletas) manufactured in two illegal workshops also discovered by the agents in Fuenlabrada and Parla (Madrid), where eleven cars, four vans, two trailer trucks, and a moped were found prepared or in the process of creating these hiding spots.
Two seriously injured after van and car collision on A-1 in Venturada
One of the trailer trucks was being adapted to hold up to a ton of narcotics.
A sailboat was also seized in Laredo (Cantabria) and over 600 kilos of cocaine and small amounts of ecstasy in various raids.
The investigations led to arrests in Castro Urdiales (Cantabria), Bizkaia, and Jaén, where agents found sophisticated communication devices, including satellite antennas and special phones, components used to communicate with vessels at sea and facilitate the logistics for the subsequent drug landing.
In Málaga, another individual was arrested as a suspected crew member of a sailboat used by the organization for drug trafficking.
Hidden Compartments with Electronic and Hydraulic Mechanisms
During the investigation, the two illegal workshops located in Fuenlabrada and Parla (Madrid) were also discovered, with four more individuals arrested
These workshops had a high level of expertise in installing these hidden compartments, dismantling vehicles internally or modifying the cargo area, in addition to fitting or preparing the caletas, to make connections using electronic engineering to open them with the help of hydraulic mechanisms.
This entire setup was perfectly integrated with the vehicle, making it undetectable without a thorough inspection.
In one of the intervened cars, to open the hidden compartment, the vehicle needed to be on, the glove compartment open, and two air vents on the dashboard moved so that, automatically, the hidden hydraulic system would lift and reveal the created space.
