Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• The drug, arranged in rectangular packages of one kilo each, was hidden in a can of sugarcane molasses.
• Three people have been arrested, including the manager of the importing company, who is linked to organized crime and drug trafficking.

June 17 , 2023.- Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with National Police agents, have seized 65 kilos of cocaine hidden in the merchandise transported inside a container that had arrived at the Port of Malaga from South America. The drugs, arranged in rectangular packages weighing one kilo each, were hidden in a container of sugar cane molasses. Three people have been arrested, including the manager of the importing company, who is allegedly linked to organised crime and drug trafficking.

The investigation began in May when it became known that a container could be used to traffic narcotic substances was in the area. Following several investigations into the company that exported the container, as well as its manager, the agents detected suspicious movements in the import and export of fruit from South America.

Rectangular packages of one kilo

As investigations into the surroundings of the importing company progressed, it was possible to identify the container that was transporting the molasses, which was destined for the port of Malaga.

Once the container arrived in the capital of Malaga, investigators carried out an exhaustive inspection of it, locating 65 kilos of cocaine, arranged in rectangular packages of one kilo each, inside a can of cane sugar.

The dark color of the material and its high density caused the packets to be camouflaged in the fluid, being found dispersed near the surface without being visible to the naked eye.

After verifying that the drugs were going to be transported from the port of Malaga to an industrial warehouse in an industrial estate located in the Malaga town of Coín, a device was established in which three people were arrested, among whom was the manager of the importing company.

The investigation was carried out by the Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance Department in conjunction with agents from the National Police within the framework of EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats). Through this framework, European Union Member States, agencies and other EU partners work closely together to address major criminal threats through joint operational actions designed to dismantle criminal networks, their structures and their business models. . The research carried out within this framework has been co-financed by the European Union as part of the support given to Member States to combat crime in areas such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine trafficking, among others.