Police arrest “super cartel” responsible for a third of Europe’s cocaine trade

Enforcement agencies across six countries have tracked down and arrested 49 suspects, seizing over 30 tonnes of cocaine in the process.

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) have raided through Europe and the United Arab Emirates throughout November. Local agencies targeted a “super cartel” that used code to organise the shipment of cocaine, taking down both the “command-and-control centre and the logistical drugs trafficking infrastructure in Europe.”

“The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was massive,” say Europol. 

The mission, titled Operation Desert Light, made 14 arrests in The Netherlands. Dubai was home to six “high-value targets” arrested, and more arrests happened in Spain, France and Belgium.

According to Dutch authorities, one arrested suspect allegedly imported thousands of kilos of cocaine into the Netherlands between 2020 and 2021. The same suspect is also being prosecuted for laundering large amounts of money and possessing firearms.

Police began investigating the 37-year-old man after intercepting messages sent via encrypted messaging service Sky ECC. They then discovered messages sent by a 40-year-old man in Dubai using the same service, suspected of importing cocaine and raw materials into Europe – used for producing amphetamines.

Undoubtedly one of the most impactive drug-related operations in modern history, it remains to be seen how much of a knock-on effect it will have on the global drug trade.