Over 90 held in European drugs bust

Spanish police have carried out an operation with France, Germany, Italy, Ecuador and Colombia that has led to the arrest of …

Spanish police have carried out an operation with France, Germany, Italy, Ecuador and Colombia that has led to the arrest of 90 people across Europe.

Over a tonne of cocaine, and more than five tonnes of hashish were seized from the criminal gangs, most of it in Spain. The network supplied drugs to drug traffickers in Italy.

"It [the network] was made up of some of the most prominent Neopolitan mafia gangs, and gangs from Colombia, Spain, Marseille and Bulgaria," the police said.

Spain, with its rocky coastline and cultural links to Latin America, is a major entry point to Europe for drugs.

READ MORE

Law enforcement agencies say cocaine is getting cheaper and more popular in Europe because of efforts to boost production by Colombian paramilitaries and rebels who need money for weapons.