The Court of Granada plans to celebrate in January the trial against twenty suspected drug traffickers who were part of a criminal organization dedicated to smuggling hashish from Morocco to the coast of Grenada using drug boats.
On the dock … In total, 19 people of Spanish nationality will sit, Moroccan and Romanian for alleged crimes against public health, smuggling and integration into a criminal group.
They face a prison sentence of up to eight and a half years; as well as payment of fines up to 17 million euros each, as indicated in the provisional indictment of the public prosecutor, to which Europa Press had access.
This criminal gang was dismantled following investigations carried out by the Organized Crime and Anti-Drugs Team of the Granada Civil Guard Command and the Customs Surveillance Service.
Investigators learned that several of the accused had been involved since August 2019. receive caches of hashish on the coast of Grenada came from Morocco aboard high-speed semi-rigid boats.
The accused also include those who piloted the boats or exercised surveillance functions; from the supply of gasoline, porters or childcare tasks, this is where we know where the drugs are hidden until they are put into circulation.
Officers located one of these drug boats between August 23 and 27 and several of the accused were seen inspecting it and carrying out surveillance tasks before launching it into the sea.
Armed with these elements, the investigators wiretapped, with judicial authorization, the telephones of several defendants, and after numerous monitoring and control devices They were able to determine the activity of this gang which operated in a “programmed and hierarchical” manner, underlines the prosecutor.
Thus, around midnight on December 29, 2019, the Operational Center of the Central Service informed the agents of the Civil Guard of the city of Nerja (Málaga) of the existence of a suspicious vessel approximately 12 nautical miles from the coast, sailing at high speed, with numerous packages visible inside.
The Civil Guard went to the indicated location, finding the boat stranded on the beach and seven individuals perform unloading tasks. After becoming aware of the police presence, they fled on foot, ignoring the light and acoustic signals from vehicles and officers.
After the chase, several of them were arrested and a total of 56 bales containing 1,581 kilos of hashish and an estimated value of more than 2.6 million euros were seized.
The case is expected to be judged by the Second Section of the Granada Court, from January 12 to 16 next year.
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