Latest news with #PoliciaNacional
Sunday World
09-07-2025
- Sunday World
Gardai make arrest as gang behind Europe's biggest ever cocaine shipment busted
The gang operated bases in Ireland and other countries from where they would export narcotics on ships, trucks and cars Gardai have helped take down an international crime gang that was involved in the largest ever cocaine shipment seized in Europe. A key figure linked to the record-breaking seizure of 16 tonnes at the Port of Hamburg in 2021 has been arrested on Spain's Costa Blanca by Policia Nacional in cooperation with Lithuanian police and gardai. A boss in the Lithuanian-run crew, he was arrested in the Orihuela area of Alicante province as authorities targeted traffickers who had been importing drugs from South America and Morocco for onward distribution across Europe. He had been 'living discreetly' in Orihuela where he negotiated and organised transportation, Policia Nacional said, although he was always accompanied by two bodyguards. Seven others were detained in Lithuania and one in Ireland as 25 searches in various countries resulted in the seizure of over €2 million in cash, seven firearms, 103 kilos of marijuana, GPS detectors, and encrypted mobile phones. It has been reported how the Lithuanian gang used Spain as an 'auxiliary base' for the purchase of large quantities of hashish, cocaine and marijuana. Seized cash The gang then organised onward transport of the drugs from eastern Spain, Malaga, and Tarragona. Meanwhile, they operated bases in Ireland and other countries from where they would export narcotics on ships, trucks and cars. However, joint investigations set up after the 2021 Hamburg cocaine seizure led authorities to Spain and Lithuania where the gang was based. Travelling with forged papers and maintaining strong security measures, it took police several weeks to identify their targets through extensive surveillance before they moved in to make arrests and carry out raids. Some of the seized cocaine Considered one of the most powerful drug trafficking groups in the Balkans, authorities in Vilnius believe the same crime gang is responsible for attempting to introduce the largest shipment of cocaine so far recorded into Europe. Sixteen tonnes that were hidden in five containers containing construction materials from Paraguay were intercepted in February 2021 in the port of Hamburg. This led to Operation Kamos that was launched by Lithuanian police four years ago, in the wake of the German seizure. The kingpin-in-wait is arrested At the time, Lithuanian police intercepted encrypted communications from a group of drug traffickers in the Balkans who referred to the loss of "16 kisses," the code name they used for the stash, due to its weight. Investigations revealed that this group had been moving between four and seven tons of cocaine every month. Spain and Ireland had served as "auxiliary bases" for their drug trafficking business. While they used Spain as a transit area to Europe, Ireland was the destination for part of the cash proceeds for subsequent money-laundering. From Tarragona and Málaga the crime gang transported drugs to their final destination by boat, truck, and car. They also negotiated with criminal groups from Ukraine, Armenia, and other former Eastern Bloc countries for the purchase and sale of large shipments of cocaine, hashish, and marijuana. All the while they operated with great discretion by staying in rented accommodation and travelled in rented vehicles that changed every few days. Some of the seized firearms According to El Pais, this hampered the police operation and delayed arrests on one occasion as investigators lost track of several of the group's main members hours before they were to be picked up. This constant movement of gang members expedited the operation on June 8, days before police were due to make their move, after investigators learned that several of them were about to leave for other countries. Now, after two years of surveillance, a coordinated raid across Spain, Lithuania, and Ireland saw authorities take down the ringleader operator and eight other suspects.
Daily Mirror
17-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
Benidorm warning to Brits as scam that will 'ruin holiday' takes 'scary twist'
A Benidorm expert has warned Brits that a common crime in the popular tourist hotspot has taken a "scarier twist" in recent times – and she knows from personal experience A Benidorm specialist has issued a stark warning to Brits, stating that a common crime in the popular holiday destination has taken a "scarier twist". Michelle Baker, who moved to Spain 40 years ago and raised a family in Benidorm while running a newspaper for two decades, now shares information through her Facebook group, Benidormforever. She has urged visitors to stay alert. "Phone theft is the No1 crime in Benidorm and it's now taken a scarier twist," she penned, revealing details about a new phone scam. She added: "I'm generally very positive about Benidorm, but several people I know personally have told me this happened to them recently (all of whom I consider streetwise individuals and none were drunk)." Michelle revealed that she nearly fell victim herself to this crime in recent weeks, describing it as "clearly common and very easy to fall for", before explaining what the crime involved. She explained: "You're approached by an agitated young individual who has 'lost' his friends and can't remember where he's staying. He explains vaguely where he thinks it is and you open Google Maps on your phone to help him find his way. "Once your phone is unlocked he snatches it and runs FAST; with adrenaline on his side he's a two second head-start before you even react. Quickly passing the phone to tech savvy experts, within minutes passwords were expertly changed and large amounts of savings swiped. "I was lucky; I didn't get my phone out I simply told the chap who stopped me where his hotel was... but my friends weren't so lucky and are absolutely gutted to have fallen for this. "It's even sadder when you consider the many recent genuine stories of tourists getting lost, sometimes with tragic endings.. "So the moral of the story is; keep your phone out of sight; at best it'll be swiped from a bar table and sold on for a few euros... but now it appears you'll have all your money nicked too." Michelle emphasised that while the incidents were non-violent, they could still "ruin your holiday". She added, if you are approached by someone seemingly lost asking for help, guide them to the nearest hotel rather than whipping out your mobile. Ominous reports earlier in the year included a British tourist in Benidorm being targeted by thieves who made off with his phone, leading to a staggering £16,000 spent via the pilfered handset. Following the incident, two young individuals, aged 19 and 20, were apprehended by the Policia Nacional. The authorities subsequently issued advice to never enter passwords or codes into your phone if there are onlookers, and to utilise different passwords for banking applications as a precaution against theft. The Foreign Office has issued a warning to travellers, stating: "Be alert to the risk of street crime. Thieves use distraction techniques and often work in teams. Take care of your passports, money and personal belongings, particularly when collecting or checking in luggage at the airport, and while arranging car hire. "Do not carry all your valuables in one place. Keep a copy of the photo page of your passport somewhere safe. Make sure your accommodation has adequate security. Keep all doors and windows locked. If you're concerned about the security of your accommodation, speak to your travel operator or the property owner."
The Irish Sun
08-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
How Love Island resort has become ‘criminals' paradise' with knife-clad Rolex rippers, rapes & ‘open war' between gangs
WITH its sun-kissed beaches and chic capital city just a short flight away from the UK, Majorca is one of the most idyllic Mediterranean holiday hotspots. A favourite of A-list stars and royalty alike, celebs including Michael Douglas and 11 Majorca is one of the most idyllic Mediterranean holiday hotspots Credit: Getty 11 The luxurious Love Island villa in the Majorcan countryside Credit: Splash 11 Police officers during an anti-drug operation in the neighbourhood of La Soledad Credit: Getty 11 Last week reality star Vanessa Mariposa was left vomiting and unable to walk after she was allegedly spiked on a night out in Majorca Credit: Instagram / @vanessa_mariposa While Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright have even named their No wonder TV bosses chose the picturesque island as the perfect romantic back-drop for the Love Island But as the new series of the dating show Tourists have been victims of rape, daylight robbery and assault, while under pressure cops have already arrested 50 suspected pickpockets before the summer season has barely started. READ MORE FEATURES Last week a Austrian model Vanessa Mariposa, 32, was left vomiting and unable to walk after she was allegedly spiked on a night out in She said: "I was robbed - my Cartier bracelet was taken off my wrist and my SIM card was removed from my phone. 'I'm convinced the people who did this had far worse intentions... otherwise they wouldn't have drugged us or taken steps to stop us from calling for help.' Most read in The Sun The worrying attack comes as the local police union claimed the island is becoming a 'paradise for criminals' flaunting their shortage of personnel ahead of the holiday season, when Majorca is flooded with tourists. Cops claim their numbers have dropped in recent years and have called for back-up to help them take on the crooks targeting tourists. How Brit tourist hotpsots in Spain became rife with murders and butchery - V2 Luis Bernardo Fernandez, the provincial secretary for the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) in the He also said the rising number of illegal migrants reaching the islands meant already-stretched officers were being diverted away from other duties. And he described the increase in sex crimes, up more than five per cent last year, as 'extremely worrying'. Knife-wielding Rolex rippers 11 Thieves are arrested on the streets of Palma after robbing tourists Credit: Policia Nacional 11 Last year a Brit holidaymaker had his phone and a £100,000 diamond Rolex watch snatched off him while on a night out (pictured: a thief is arrested for robbery of a tourist's watch) Credit: Policia Nacional Official figures show more than 80,300 crimes in 2024 in the Balearic islands, 2.4 per cent more, while the national average fell by 0.3 per cent. Meanwhile a travel expert in Majorca is warning Brits to be on their guard as pickpocketing gangs are targeting visitors as they land at the airport and in supermarket car parks. Alex Smith has lived on the island for 20 years and runs popular blog She has warned of a crimewave sweeping the island as it gears up for summer. Alex says the thieves aren't just active in the popular party resorts of On her YouTube channel Alex warned: 'We are only one week into the summer holiday season, pickpockets are running rife around the holiday resorts right now. Pickpockets are running rife around the holiday resorts right now Alex Smith, local blogger 'We had pickpockets in Puerto Pollensa last year but they have been getting out and about. 'We're talking Alcudia, Calabona, Playa de Palma, Peguera, Antratx, and Formentor, and we're even talking supermarket car parks as well, or within supermarkets.' In recent years so-called ' Last year a Brit holidaymaker had his phone and a £100,000 diamond Rolex watch snatched off him while on a night out. And just last month the National Police Robbery Squad launched an investigation into the theft of a Richard Millie watch valued at £245,000 from a young man while he was walking in the centre of Palma. The brazen criminal approached the victim from behind, assaulted him and managed to steal his watch. In January two Chilean men were jailed for nine years and six years respectively for a series of robberies at luxury homes on the island. The two stole cash and valuables worth an estimated half a million Euros. Brits a target 11 Brit tourists are being targeted as soon as they arrive at the airport Credit: Getty 11 A robber caught on camera thieving from a tourist's hire car Credit: Policía Nacional But it isn't just the super-rich falling victim to the criminal gangs - Brits have reported having phones, cash and valuables stolen from their beach sunbeds as they sunbathe or take a dip in the sea. As well as thefts and burglaries there are even more serious crimes impacting tourists on the island. A The 30-year-old told detectives she agreed to go there in the early hours of the morning with a man she met and ended up agreeing to have sex with him, before a second man appeared on the scene and forced himself on her. They then fled the beach near Palma with her belongings, according to the holidaymaker. Also last summer a British teenager was allegedly raped after being plied with alcohol in a bar on the island. And a 21-year-old British tourist claimed she was raped by a man who intercepted her as she returned to her holiday apartment in Port D'Antratx after a boozy night out with friends. Police later arrested a 40-year-old Senegalese man. The previous summer an 18-year-old British girl was allegedly gang-raped by eight men at a Magaluf hotel. Seven French men and one Swiss are still in prison awaiting trial. Last week police arrested a Senegalese man accused of stabbing a young Dutch man in the back in Playa de Palma after being kicked out of a bar. I was robbed - my Cartier bracelet was taken off my wrist and my SIM card was removed from my phone. I'm convinced the people who did this had far worse intentions Vanessa Mariposa The victim had to be hospitalised in Son Espases with a punctured lung. The suspect was charged with attempted murder. Police have already had their work cut out this year, despite the summer season only just getting underway. Nearly 50 pickpockets and petty thieves targeting tourist victims have been arrested in the past month by police in Majorca who have drafted in early reinforcements to tackle an expected summer crimewave. National Police on the holiday island announced last month that they had brought forward 'Operation Summer' by bringing in extra officers from the mainland specialising in 'prevent and rapid response' crimefighting to work along town hall-employed local police. A spokesman for the force in Majorca said: 'They will serve on the island for a month as a prelude to the incorporation of other units who will work in the municipality of Palma ahead of the arrival of reinforcements in Manacor in Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca.' A National Police spokesman said that the arrests included pickpockets and someone wanted for drug trafficking. They also seized cash, ID documents and high-end stolen items including designer sunglasses. But with the island proving to be a lucrative hunting ground for criminals, it is unlikely that they will go quietly. Violent clashes 11 Many of the Algerian immigrants appear to have arrived on the island in small boats. Pictured: a rescue operation after a boat carrying migrants arrived in Palma Credit: AFP Last year a group of locals turned vigilante to tackle a group of Algerians who were alleged to be bringing violent crime to the island. Police were called to the Palma neighbourhood of Son Gotleu after a street fight involving around 50 people broke out. The clashes were described by one local newspaper as an "open war between racial groups". A band of locals - an unlikely union made up of Spanish gypsies, Morrocans and Africans - took it into their own hands to confront a squad of Algerians, who are said to have installed a reign of terror and have turned the neighbourhood into a breeding ground for violent crimes. Videos emerged depicting the violence of the clashes between the two troops, as well as efforts by the police to restore order. Many of the Algerian immigrants appear to have arrived on the island in small boats, prompting the Balearics President Marga Prohens to blame the lack of troops from the State Security Forces and Corps (FFCCSE) for the growing problem. She said: "The lack of FFCCSE troops is linked to difficulties in controlling the worrying crime data in the Balearic Islands. "As a government, we can only share the concern that this brings to citizens, especially when migrants arriving on the shores of the Islands face them with defiant and obscene gestures.' Around 2,000 migrants have arrived already so far this year. We have had so much immigration and there really aren't enough staff to deal with it Luis Bernardo Fernandez Mr Fernandez told The Sun: 'On the subject of immigration we have been overwhelmed. 'Around 2,000 migrants have arrived already so far this year. We have had so much immigration and there really aren't enough staff to deal with it. 'Police are moved from Majorca to the other islands of Ibiza and Formentera to help out. 'In the summer reinforcements are usually brought in to boost police numbers but what is happening is that not everyone can come because of the high rental prices. 'In Ibiza there's nowhere to live. In Majorca it's impossible. "There is all this talk of summer operations and reinforcements but there's always going to be a problem when there's no extra incentives for Civil Guard officers to come here, which is something we've been fighting for for years. 'As things stand today, the Balearic Islands are a place of punishment for officers who get transferred here. 'Nobody wants to come to places like Majorca because of the high cost of living and the fact officers don't get any extra wages or housing allowance of any kind. 'There is an increase in the number of officers but the ideal number of Civil Guard officers for the Balearic Islands should be around 1,730 and at present we currently have only around 1,200 to 1,300. 'We would need around 500 more and 500 are not going to come in the summer. 'The lack of police officers is definitely a factor that goes towards explaining these very concerning crime figure increases.' 11 Palma Port is a popular area with joggers, cyclists and boaters Credit: Getty 11 Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan named their daughter after the Majorcan capital
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Raids across Canary Islands in major cocaine gang bust
A major cocaine smuggling operation that used a network of speedboats to transport drugs from South America to the Canary Islands has been taken down, police have said. Almost four tonnes of cocaine trafficked from Brazil and Colombia were seized and 48 suspects, arrested in raids across Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. Spain's Policia Nacional said the gang used 11 so-called narco boats to smuggle the drugs across the Atlantic in a complex operation that involved using an abandoned wreck at sea as a refuelling platform. Police forces from Europe, the UK, South America and the US were involved in planning the raids, dubbed Operation Black Shadow. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed that a British national was among those arrested. Europol said the gang used speedboats "repeatedly, departing from strategic points in the Atlantic Ocean to a mother ship transporting the cocaine". Investigators revealed the gang used "a complex encrypted communications system to evade law enforcement, including the use of satellite terminals, hard-to-trace phones and a coded language". Police said the raids were months in the planning and saw 29 properties searched, 69 vehicles seized - including boats and jet skis - and cash and firearms recovered. Details of the raids shine a light on the complexity of the networks international drug smuggling gangs use to get narcotics into Europe, a major market for South American-based cartels. Spanish police said the operation had "dismantled one of the largest criminal organisations dedicated to cocaine trafficking". The force also said it had identified a local network in the Canary Islands responsible for distributing the cocaine once it had arrived from South America. Footage of the raids published by Spanish police showed armed and masked officers raiding several houses, arresting suspects and carrying out searches. It is not the first time police have intercepted a large amount of cocaine bound for the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory and popular tourist destination lying around 100km (62 miles) off the west African coast. Police announced in December that they had intercepted a Venezuelan fishing boat 1,000 miles out at sea. It was discovered the vessel - which was so dilapidated it sank while being towed to shore - was carrying 3.3 tonnes of cocaine. Commenting on the latest raid, an NCA spokesperson said: "Alongside our international partners, we are relentless in our efforts to tackle drug trafficking across borders, ensuring it's seized before it reaches the UK criminal supply chain." Royal Navy warship seizes £30m of drugs Brits could face death over Bali drugs plot British woman accused of drug offences tells BBC of Sri Lanka jail conditions
BBC News
06-06-2025
- BBC News
Canary Islands: 48 arrested in international cocaine gang bust
A major cocaine smuggling operation that used a network of speedboats to transport drugs from South America to the Canary Islands has been taken down, police have four tonnes of cocaine trafficked from Brazil and Colombia were seized and 48 suspects arrested in raids across Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Policia Nacional said the gang used 11 so-called narco boats to smuggle the drugs across the Atlantic in a complex operation that involved using an abandoned wreck at sea as a refuelling forces from Europe, the UK, South America and the US were involved in planning the raids, dubbed Operation Black Shadow. Europol said the gang used speedboats "repeatedly, departing from strategic points in the Atlantic Ocean to a mother ship transporting the cocaine". Investigators revealed the gang used "a complex encrypted communications system to evade law enforcement, including the use of satellite terminals, hard-to-trace phones and a coded language".Police said the raids were months in the planning and saw 29 properties searched, 69 vehicles seized - including boats and jet skis - and cash and firearms of the raids shine a light on the complexity of the networks international drug smuggling gangs use to get narcotics into Europe, a major market for South American-based cartels. Spanish police said the operation had "dismantled one of the largest criminal organisations dedicated to cocaine trafficking".The force also said it had identified a local network in the Canary Islands responsible for distributing the cocaine once it had arrived from South America. Footage of the raids published by Spanish police showed armed and masked officers raiding several houses, arresting suspects and carrying out is not the first time police have intercepted a large amount of cocaine bound for the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory and popular tourist destination lying around 100km (62 miles) off the west African announced in December that they had intercepted a Venezuelan fishing boat 1,000 miles out at was discovered the vessel - which was so dilapidated it sank while being towed to shore - was carrying 3.3 tonnes of cocaine.
