The Spanish National Police have concluded a successful international operation led by Europol to dismantle a gang allegedly linked to the Belgian chapter of the Hells Angels biker gang which was attempting to smuggle cocaine in shipping containers through the port of Valencia.
In a statement released by the Spanish authorities 17 people were arrested in Spain and 2 in Belgium, and 1 in France rounded up during 11 searches. The operations resulted in the seizure of over 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, cryptocurrency wallets, two firearms, eight luxury vehicles, prohibited weapons, €15,000 in cash, and a semi-trailer truck, according to a police statement.
The organisation employed so-called ‘Spider-Men’ who would climb stacks of containers in the port to reach those holding the narcotics, break them open using tools such as bolt cutters and other specialised equipment, and then transfer the drugs to trucks for transportation to safe houses.
Some of the individuals arrested have ties to a faction of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang in Belgium, which was involved in controlling and retrieving drug shipments, the police said.
The investigation began a year ago when authorities identified a criminal organisation smuggling drugs in containers into the port, which were covertly hidden in legal cargo shipments, without the knowledge of the shipping company or cargo owner.
Spain is one of the main entry points for cocaine into Europe from Latin America.
During the operation, police discovered that the leader of the Belgian branch was one of the country’s most wanted criminals, a fugitive from justice for the past four years with a ‘Red Notice’ issued by Interpol for his arrest and extradition.
He had been hiding in luxury villas along Spain’s Costa Blanca and was leading the organisation through a member of the Belgian Hells Angels gang who acted as his liaison.
The coastal town of Denia in Alicante served as the financial and logistical base for the Belgian branch, the police statement said. One of the organisation’s intermediaries, a man linked to the world of professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting, lived there and was arrested along with his trainer. Both were considered extremely dangerous, with extensive criminal records, the police said.