A British drug-running gang based on the Costa del Sol since 2015 has been busted wide open, resulting in a total of 31 arrests over five years.

The police operation, entitled Rigidity, culminated in the arrest of the gang leader in Motril, where he used the port for some of his ‘business’ operations. Other arrests were made in El EJido (Almería), Estepona and Fuengirola (both Málaga).

The Guardia Civil had got wind of a drug-running gang operating out of the province of Málaga, using yachts to ship hashish over to several Spanish ports. The first arrests were made in 2015 which netted 1,910 kilos of hashish being moved through the marina port of Sotogrande, in San Roque (Cádiz).

The police operation continued and in 2016 they moved in on a yacht transporting 690 kilos of hashish being introduced via the marina La Alcaidesa in la Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz). Six arrests were made and three craft confiscated.

Then came 2019 when the gang leader arrived in Spain to take charge of operations, which reactivated the police operation. The yachts, which operated in Spanish waters, were intercepted and 22 arrests made, mainly British citizen but some Dutch and Spanish ones – the latter providing logistical support.

(News: Motril/Estepona/Fuengirola, Costa del Sol/Costa Tropical, Granada/Malaga, Andalucia)