Colombia police arrested nine members of a Medellin-based drug trafficking organization involved in processing and shipping cocaine to Europe -– primarily Spain and Belgium.
“A 16-month investigation undertaken by the Anti-narcotics Unit succeeded in identifying the drug traffickers who were sending cocaine hydrochloride to Europe and had a base of operations in Medellin,” said Anti-narcotic Unit Director, Ricardo Restrepo.
According to Restrepo, the group also maintained ties and received financing from the crime syndicate known as “Office of Envigado,” an organization founded by infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar that is purportedly involved in a wide range of criminal activities including kidnapping, extortion, bounty killing and drug trafficking.
PROFILE: Oficina De Envigado
The suspected drug traffickers arrested over the weekend include Diego Fernando Hernandez, alias “The Cat,” and Yamit Adolfo Vahos, alias “The Dwarf.”
The group also allegedly maintained laboratories in the Catatumbo region, northeast Colombia, where the group processed cocaine hydrochloride to send to markets in Europe. After being processed, the contraband was shipped to the exterior from ports on the Caribbean coast.
During the investigation police seized a total of 4.4 tons of consumable chemicals, 248 kilos of cocaine hydrochloride, 126 kilos of cocaine base, and 7 automobiles.
Sources
- Desarticulan red transnacional dedicada al tráfico de clorhidrato de cocaína: 9 capturados (Minuto30)
- Desarticulan red transnacional que traficaba clorhidrato de cocaína (El Heraldo)
- Policía desarticula banda que enviaba cocaína a España y Bélgica (El Mundo)
