Last Monday, an extensive operation was prepared to intercept a transport of hashish in El Ejido (Almería, 91,440 inhabitants). It was the key moment of an operation developed for months focused on an organization that cultivated marijuana, moved large quantities of hashish and trafficked cocaine. During the search of one of the nurseries – a drug warehouse – one of the suspects tried to load a drug, although it got stuck and was finally reduced without consequences. “There was also a Glock pistol with bullets in the chamber and ready to shoot directly by pulling the trigger,” says José Antonio Roca, head of the El Ejido police station. The criminals – five people were arrested, four of them from Almeria – thought they were being robbed by another criminal gang and wanted to respond with bullets. 2.5 tons of hashish and another of marijuana have been seized, in addition to small amounts of cocaine and almost 100,000 euros in cash.
“Today, half of criminal groups focus on drug trafficking and the other half on trying to steal their merchandise. It is one of the reasons why there are so many weapons,” Antonio María Delgado, chief commissioner of the National Police Corps in Almería, explains to EL PAÍS, who highlights that so far this year 17 weapons have been seized and . In addition to the assault rifle with which they tried to respond—a CETME of 7.62 caliber and national origin—these criminals also had an eight-millimeter pistol (in addition to the Glock) and a rifle, as well as several shotguns and bulletproof vests. “We expected long hunting weapons, because we knew that the core of the area had them, but we didn’t think that,” says the commissioner about the confiscated arsenal.
The investigation had started last September when agents from Group II of Narcotics of the Judicial Police in El Ejido obtained information about the sale of small quantities of hashish and marijuana. Shortly afterwards, after the meeting of the Operational Coordination Board of the – held in December in Almería -, it gained momentum. That meeting served to give priority to El Ejido for police investigations because, among other aspects, it has everything to facilitate the work of criminal groups: the largest municipal area in Spain, greenhouses in labyrinthine spaces and — like peppers or tomatoes — on the way to Europe.
With the support of members of the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (Udyco) of Almería, investigators began to pull the thread of the clues they had. They monitored properties – cars, homes or industrial warehouses – and rental contracts, as well as transportation, appointments, and accommodation. Little by little they managed to identify those responsible for the gang that sold on a small scale and that, it was discovered, . They grew marijuana in different greenhouses to sell it in the area, but also to do so on a large scale in Europe and, thus, finance the purchase of bales of hashish to increase business and profitability. This arrived by sea via , but also vacuum-packed in suitcases and backpacks by road across port borders from Morocco. In addition, the group trafficked – although in smaller quantities – cocaine.
Part of the drugs were sold in El Ejido and nearby municipalities, in addition to the capital of Almería. But the majority were transported in vehicles to Central Europe, especially France. It was one of these shipments that served to exploit the operation after the investigators verified that it was going to happen: both due to the use of a large capacity vehicle and due to the presence of one of the relevant people in the organization’s organizational chart. That is when an important police operation struck, arresting the five leaders of the gang—four of them belonging to a family clan settled in the Matagorda neighborhood—who have been brought to justice charged with the crimes of drug trafficking, membership in a criminal organization, illicit possession of weapons and fraud of electrical fluid.
As a result of the police work, various consignments of cocaine totaling almost half a kilo and around 100,000 euros in cash have been seized. “The operation sends a very clear message: criminal organizations do not have and will not have space in our province,” said the Government’s deputy delegate in Almería, José María Martín.
