An Irish man has been arrested in a Spanish sun resort on suspicion of being part of an international drugs gang.
The man was arrested on the Costa Del Sol late last week as part of a Spanish National Police operation, codenamed Pachamama, against a gang suspected of cultivating €3.5 million worth of cannabis in the area – and smuggling it to Germany for sale there.
Spanish police said the Irish suspect was arrested with two German men, but gave no more details about his identity.
But they did say the arrest operation place in the resort of Fuengirola near Marbella, both of which have a large Irish expat community.
The area was also home to the Irish drugs cartel led by mobster Daniel Kinahan, 43, before he fled to Dubai in 2016 at the height of his gang’s feud with Hutch crime outfit – a war that has now left 18 men dead.
It is understood, however, there is no connection to Irish organised crime – and Spanish cops say this scam was led by a Bulgarian man, who was on the run last night.
The cops said the gang was stealing electricity from the mains of several houses in the Fuengirola area – which they used for light and heat to grow the cannabis plants.
Cops moved in on the gang as it was preparing to ship the drugs to Germany packed in wooden cases and recovered some 15 kg of Cannabis plants – worth some €600,000 on the streets.
These pictures show Spanish cops at the scene of the find – which is packed with hundreds of cannabis plants.
The police carried out more searches and found another 144 kgs of the drug, worth some €2.9 million hidden in a warehouse in Fuengirola.
All three suspects were in custody last night and a local magistrate has ordered them to be placed under investigation for drugs offences.
The Irishman is likely to be in custody for at least a year before he goes on trial – unless he gets bail in the meantime.
And the maximum penalty for trafficking cannabis in Spain is three years.
