Law enforcement agencies from across Europe have banded together to crack down on a “super cartel” of drug traffickers who control about a third of Europe’s cocaine trade, European authorities said Monday.
The series of raids took place between November 8 and 19 in six countries in Europe and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in 49 arrests, Europol said.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Desert Light,” focused on the cartel’s “command and control center and logistics infrastructure for drug trafficking in Europe,” the agency said.
“The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the control and command of the suspects was massive and law enforcement seized more than 30 tons of drugs in the course of investigations,” Europol said, adding that the suspects used encrypted communications to organize drug shipments. .
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Authorities arrested 13 suspects in Spain, 6 in France, 10 in Belgium and 14 in the Netherlands in 2021. Europol said six “high-value targets” were also arrested in Dubai.
(Europol)
The US Drug Enforcement Administration also played a role in the downfall of the organization, which was also involved in money laundering, Europol said.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Desert Light,” focused on the cartel’s “command and control center and logistics infrastructure for drug trafficking in Europe,” the agency said.
(Europol)
Authorities arrested 13 suspects in Spain, six in France, 10 in Belgium and 14 in the Netherlands in 2021. Europol said six “high-value targets” were also arrested in Dubai.
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Record amounts of cocaine are being seized in Europe. Its availability on the continent has never been greater, with extremely high purity and low prices.
The series of raids took place between November 8 and 19 in six countries in Europe and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in 49 arrests, Europol said.
(Europol)
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In 2020, more than 214 tons of cocaine were seized in the region, 6% more than the previous year, and experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction believe that amount could reach 300 metric tons (330 tons) in 2022.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
