Drug smugglers failed to ship 470 pounds of Colombian cocaine hidden in a load of artichokes into Spain.
The operation, carried out by both Spanish and Colombian authorities, led to the arrest of 16 suspects, including one Colombian policeman. The officer allegedly helped his accomplices by spying on his colleagues’ activities
In addition to the drugs, police forces seized 600,000 ($827,000) in bank accounts, 16,000 ($22,000) in cash, three firearms and seven vehicles.
The smugglers were caught when three of them went to pick up the cargo, while the head of the organization was arrested with two others in an apartment near the harbor of the Spanish port city of Valencia.