35 members of international heroin trafficking network arrested near Barcelona
The so-called 'Operation Enxaneta' is considered the most important in the fight against drug trafficking carried out in Spain in the last ten years. 35 people have been arrested, 25 of whom have already been sent to prison. 83 kilos of highly pure heroin, 1 kilo of cocaine and 360 grams of marihuana have been intercepted. Several bank accounts have been frozen, and patrimonial assets and more than 1 million euros in cash have been confiscated. The investigation, which started in April, has brought to light heroin's routes and sales channels, starting in Pakistan and finishing in Barcelona and Madrid, amongst other places. 'Operation Enxaneta' was carried out by the Catalan police in collaboration with the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Spanish Police and the Ukrainian Security Service, which intercepted a 71-kilo heroin shipment bound for Catalonia.
Barcelona (CNA).- A hard blow for international drug trafficking. The so-called 'Operation Enxaneta', considered the most important in the fight against drug trafficking carried out in Spain in the last ten years, has led to the interception of 83 kilos of highly pure heroin, with a street value of 6 million euros, 1 kilo of cocaine and 360 grams of marihuana. Moreover, 35 people have been arrested, 25 of whom have already been sent to prison. The investigation started in April and has brought to light heroin's routes and sales channels, starting in Pakistan and finishing in Barcelona and Madrid, amongst other places. 'Operation Enxaneta' has been carried out by the Catalan police in collaboration with the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Spanish Police and the Ukrainian Security Service, which intercepted a 71-kilo heroin shipment bound for Catalonia.
The investigation started in April, when a sale point was detected in the municipality of 'El Vendrell', 60 km south from Barcelona. This proved to be the last step of a drug trafficking criminal macro-organisation. "Between July and October three supplying routes were discovered: a Pakistani route in Barcelona, a Guinean one and a Turkish one, based in Madrid, with ramifications in Bulgaria and Romania" stated Mossos d'Esquadra's Criminal Investigation division's deputy chief, Ramon Grasa.
At the same time, the Spanish Guardia Civil was carrying out an operation, together with the Ukrainian Security Service. They intercepted a 71.6-kilo heroin shipment which arrived in Odessa, in the South of Ukraine, coming from Pakistan and destined for Catalonia.
Later, on the 14th of September, the two leaders of the Pakistani organisation were arrested in Barcelona and Badalona and put in prison. A few days later, another person was arrested, accused of running a laboratory in which the cocaine and the heroin were processed. This phase concluded on the 9th of October, when a Spanish citizen was arrested accused of being linked with the Guinean branch of the operation.
The police operation continued on the 2nd of November, with the arrest and imprisoning in Madrid of the head of the Turkish branch of the macro-organisation. 'Operation Enxaneta' is still ongoing and more detentions may be carried out in the following days.