Prison for three detainees for the cache of one hundred kilos of cocaine seized in Almoradí and freedom for two others

The drugs seized by the National Police and Customs Surveillance were hidden in pallets with cleaning products that were going to be sent to the United Kingdom.

The three British citizens arrested last week for a cache of one hundred kilograms of cocaine seized in a warehouse in Almoradí by the National Police and Customs Surveillance entered prison last Friday after being brought to justice in Orihuela. while the two Spaniards were released with charges. The seized drugs were camouflaged in a shipment of cleaning products that was to be sent to the United Kingdom.

Sources from the High Court of Justice (TSJ) of the Valencian Community have confirmed to this newspaper that the magistrate of Plaza number 1 of the Instruction section of the Court of Instance of Orihuela agreed to communicated provisional detention and without bail for three detainees and freedom for two other arrested, with precautionary measures of withdrawal of passports and periodic appearance before the court.

The five, three of them defended by lawyers Francisco Miguel Galiana Botella and Jorge Martínez Navas, have been investigated in an open case for the crimes of criminal organization and against public health (notorious importance), according to the TSJ.

The successful anti-drug operation took place on the afternoon of 21 July in the Las Maromas Industrial Estate in Almoradí and was carried out by agents of the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO) of the Provincial Brigade of the Judicial Police of Alicante, the Special Response Group against Organised Crime –Greco Levante- of the central UDYCO and Customs Surveillance of the Alicante Tax Agency.

Drug transaction

The device was deployed on a warehouse in Almoradí that had already been investigated in the past by the National Police. The investigators were aware that a significant drug transaction could take place that day in these facilities that was going to be sent to another country and established a discreet surveillance operation in the vicinity of the warehouse.

The agents observed that a van was parked at the door of the warehouse and that two people left the facilities on several occasions and accessed the vehicle to manipulate something inside. The suspects, every time they left, tried to verify with their eyes that they were not being watched and in the end the agents chose to take advantage of the fact that the door of the warehouse was ajar to inspect it and identify the people inside.

Upon entering the warehouse, one of the suspects came out, who, upon seeing the agents wearing police and customs vests, ran in despite the warnings of the police. The agents identified two Britons inside the warehouse who claimed that they were waiting for the arrival of a truck to pick up two pallets bound for the United Kingdom that contained cleaning products.

During the inspection of the warehouse, the agents observed two pallets with cardboard boxes containing cleaning products such as floor cleaners or fabric softeners and once they thoroughly checked all the merchandise they found several closed boxes with one hundred cocaine pills weighing approximately one kilogram each.

The two Britons were arrested and during the inspection a truck arrived at the industrial estate whose driver explained to the Police that he had an order to collect three pallets with a declared weight of two tons and bound for Irun. The lorry driver also said that he had spoken on the phone with an English person who appeared in the transport order and told him that he was going to the ship because the two Britons who were inside did not answer the phone.

The truck driver was left waiting for the street and the investigators continued with the surveillance device before the foreseeable arrival of more involved. Shortly after, two cars appeared and made several passes through the area to try to verify that there were no police vehicles and when they thought they were safe they stopped.

In one vehicle were two Spaniards who stayed outside the warehouse and in the other car was the British man who had called the truck driver who was to pick up the pallets. The latter tried to access the ship and was arrested, as were the two Spaniards, who tried unsuccessfully to flee.

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