The Spanish National Police announced this Thursday dismantling of the largest cocaine laboratory in Europe, in a joint operation with the Judicial Police of Portugal and the Narcotics Enforcement Authority (DIRAN) of Colombia.

Behind the laboratory is a cartel from Mexico and another from Colombia, who teamed up to jointly fund a laboratory capable of producing 6,000 kg of cocaine hydrochloride in various phases.

The institution said in a statement that the macrolab was installed in the province of Pontevedra, in Galicia, and was operating at full capacity 24 hours a day, from production capacity up to 200 kg of drugs per day.

The operation was 18 people arrested in different parts of Spain, They are already in jail, police said on Thursday. Eleven people were captured in Galicia, four in Madrid, two in Gran Canaria and one in the Basque Country.

They were all part of the organization. controlled by drug traffickers from Mexico and Colombia and they were responsible for converting the base paste into ready-to-use cocaine hydrochloride from a house in the town of Cerdedo Cotobad in Pontevedra.

The Spanish police emphasize that the liquidated criminal organization “Had a high level of difficulty and its members, who had a clear distribution of functions, used strict security measures such as the use of nicknames, the use of shuttle vehicles, the use of transporter camouflage, or subjecting their messages to strict security protocol.

On the one hand, the Colombians provided human resources in the form of “cooks” or laboratory chemists, and The Mexicans provided the technical knowledge to properly extract the coca base, which was transported hidden in large stone crushers (in particular, in two metal cylinders that are part of its components). In addition, they were also responsible for overseeing the proper processing of coca base from Colombia.

The Spanish were in charge of most of the operation; that is, managing the transport of the substance from the country of origin (Colombia) to its reception in Pontevedra for appropriate processing in the laboratory, for the installation of which they were also responsible, and the subsequent distribution of the final product throughout the national territory.

The Special Prosecutor of the National Narcotics Court filed a complaint that led to the opening of pre-trial proceedings in Central Judicial Briefing No. 2.

As a result of 14 entries, agents 1,300 kg of coca paste seized – the largest off-site seizure to date – 151 kg of cocaine hydrochloride, as well as over 23,000 liters of precursors and 4 tons of solid chemicals used to process the drug.

In addition, 17 properties were insured for an approximate amount of EUR 1,700,000. and 37 financial products awaiting quantification.

They also seized a stone crusher, numerous laboratory instruments, documentation, cell phones, computers and expensive cars.

The investigation began in October 2022. when agents became aware of the existence of a criminal organization based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The first investigations showed that he had a powerful infrastructure that allowed them to import large quantities of drugs into Spain.

In addition, some of its members have previously been the subject of police investigations. being accredited by the high standard of living they maintained as well as connections with Colombian citizens who acted as suppliers.

With the first efforts of the police, agents revealed a large number of movements between Las Palmas and the peninsula, especially between Madrid and Pontevedra, although the defendants formed several operational cells to reduce contacts between them and not arouse suspicion.

They also found that the organization has house in Colmenar Viejo, Madrid which was used to store a large number of chemical products and other tools. It was the first location chosen to “cool down” the precursor chemicals, that is, to store the substances for a reasonable amount of time to determine if they were being monitored and to avoid potential police action.

On the other hand, the network used several logistics companies to transport chemical products, pretending to be operating legally. This effort was led by a businessman from the Basque Country. who, thanks to his connections, served as a “find” on the peninsula for the studied Canarians. One of these vehicles allowed agents to locate an industrial warehouse in the city of Pontevedra, which was first used as a logistics center to supply the macrolab and then to “cool” materials before they were transferred to it.

In October last year, researchers observed exponential growth of the organization. Once again, after a reasonable time, they began to transport chemical products, equipment and materials needed to create a laboratory.

The network intended to import from Colombia large stone crushing machine through the Portuguese port of Leishuens (Porto). To do this, they turned to a Basque businessman who created a company ad hoc in order to ensure that the hidden narcotic substance enters the two mechanical cylinders that were part of the stone crusher.

It was at this time that the investigation acquired an international character. Thanks to the cooperation of the police with the Portuguese authorities, which launched an investigation into the activities of the organization under investigation in their country, constant travel and meetings of several of its members with people associated with the port of Leixoes (Porto) were revealed.

As soon as the criminal network finished importing and transporting the shredder to a warehouse in Pontevedra, agents confirmed the arrival of two Mexicans in Spain whose mission was to disable the machine and recover the cocaine base hidden inside.

These people were called “engineer”, responsible for extracting the drug for transfer to the laboratory; and “notary” confidant of the Mexican organization who will confirm everything that happened there.

During the investigation, the arrival six people of Colombian origin, whose phones were seized from a safe house and then taken to a laboratory. They were the “chefs”, that is, those who were in charge of processing the drug.

When the “engineer” managed to extract the cocaine base from inside the first cylinder of the crusher, the transfer of the substance from the ship to the laboratory began. To do this, they again used strict security measures – shuttles, transporter camouflage and Wi-Fi transmitters, so as not to lose connection during trips.

🚩Disassembled in #Pontevedra the largest laboratory in #Europe base paste processing #cocaine capable of producing 200 kg per day

18 detained in #Galicia, #Basque Country, #Madrid #Palms of Gran Canaria and seized 1300 kg. #medicine #WeYourPolice pic.twitter.com/Aqh7KdNsGP

– National Police (@police) April 13, 2023

It was then that the largest cocaine processing laboratory in Europe was put into operation, capable of producing up to 200 kg of narcotic substance per day.

After completing the manufacturing process for the first batch of drugs, the organization began preparations for their distribution using a delivery van from a well-known courier company. Simulating the collection of four packages, transported 100 kg of cocaine which the agents seized when they intercepted said car at the entrance to the Community of Madrid.

Considering that there is sufficient evidence to support the illegal activities of the laboratory, there was a big police operation which extended to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Pontevedra, Madrid and Bilbao.

The dismantled laboratory had an unprecedented scale in Europe. He had advanced air extraction systems and sophisticated equipment for cooling and heating substances. All this is ideally divided into several zones so that the processing, separation, drying and packaging of cocaine can be carried out.

This “very important” operation, according to Antonio Duarte, chief commissioner of the Central Narcotics Brigade, resulted in the seizure of Europe’s largest base paste – 1300 kg – and the largest amount of cocaine outside its production areas, in addition to stopping the placement on the market for large quantities of medicines.

In fact, with the help of this operation, the investigators discovered a new direction in the drug trade, in which the narcotic substance is exported without going through the chemical process of its transformation in laboratories located in Europe, which allows drug cartels to save money.

(According to information from EFE And Aristegui News)