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A coalition of law enforcement personnel from around the globe has successfully taken down a "super cartel" of drug traffickers believed to control roughly a third of Europe's cocaine trade, making 49 arrests and seizing 33 tons of illegal substances.
The European Union crime agency announced the news on Monday, with Europol saying that the investigations led to 49 suspects being taken into custody. The latest series of raids were conducted across Europe and the United Arab Emirates and took place from Nov. 8 to Nov. 19.
Massive Super Cartel
The agency noted that police forces that were involved in "Operation Desert Light" targeted both the "command-and-control center and the logistical drugs trafficking infrastructure in Europe." Officials revealed that they seized 33 tons of drugs during the investigations that encompassed Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UAE.
On the other hand, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration played a role in bringing down the global organization. Europol said that the scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the control and command of the suspects was massive, adding that the organization utilized encrypted communications to organize their shipments, as per CBS News.
In the Netherlands, officials made the most number of arrests, taking 14 suspects into custody in 2021 as Europol said that six "high-value targets" were captured in Dubai. On social media, Europol posted a video that showed members of various law enforcement agencies, including Spain's Guardia Civil and the U.S. DEA, carrying out raids, seizing various property, such as jewelry and luxury vehicles, and arresting suspects.
In Europe, authorities seized record amounts of cocaine as its availability on the continent has never been higher, having extremely high purity and low prices. Officials also said that they seized more than 214 tons of cocaine in Europe in 2020. That number represents a 6% increase from the amount seized the year before.
According to the New York Post, on the other hand, Dutch authorities said that one of the suspects was arrested in Dubai who allegedly imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the Netherlands in 2020 and 2021.
Tons of Cocaine
The suspect, who was a 37-year-old drug lord with both Dutch and Moroccan nationality, is also being prosecuted for laundering large amounts of money and possession of firearms. Law enforcement personnel said that they started monitoring the man after investigators cracked the encrypted messaging service Sky ECC, which was a popular tool among criminals.
Furthermore, a 40-year-old Dutch-Bosnian citizen was taken into custody in Dubai following an investigation based on intercepted Sky messages. The individual is suspected of importing cocaine and raw materials for the production of amphetamines into Europe.
Now, Dutch prosecutors are saying that they will request the extradition of the suspects from the United Arab Emirates. In a statement, the Dutch public prosecution service said that the criminals are facing serious offenses pertaining to international drug trafficking, mainly from South America via the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam.
Experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction said that the amount of drugs that authorities could potentially seize is estimated to reach 300 tons in 2022, ABC reported.
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