In the 'Caravan' operation, 1,200 kilos of hashish were intervened, a semi-rigid boat of 12 meters in length with three engines, a trailer truck with a trailer, electronic maritime navigation equipment and waterproof clothing for the control of narcolanchas, among other effects, and 15 people of Spanish and Arabic origin have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the plot.
A 'turnaround' among the members of the organization
The investigation began on the occasion of a robbery with violence – 'overturn' in the operative slang – occurred in the month of May in the neighborhood of Puerto de la Torre, in the capital of Malaga, during a transport of narcotic substance that the criminal organization moved for hiding in Almogía (Málaga).
The agents managed to intercept the road transport and apprehend 870 kilos of hashish, thus initiating investigations by the acting police units. The efforts resulted in the arrest of several people, determining that the 'overturn' occurred as a result of the disagreements of one of the members of the organization with respect to the rest of the group.
Two phases of exploitation
This research has been exploited in two phases. In the first one, it was possible to determine the presence of two members of the organization dedicated to the transport and custody of narcotics in the vicinity of the Guadalhorce Polygon, adopting the investigated large security measures.
Continuing with the investigations, at the beginning of October, a van was detected that was driven with the escort of two other vehicles to La Línea de la Concepción (Cádiz) transporting 330 kilos of hashish distributed in 11 bundles. On the trip back to Malaga, the van was intercepted and its driver and another member driving one of the escort cars were stopped.
The second support vehicle, called 'shuttle', undertook an escape that led from the Estepona-Guadiaro toll road of the AP7 motorway, in Manilva, to the Plaza de Toros Vieja area, in the capital of Malaga. During the chase, the two occupants of this car ignored the indications of the patrols even hitting and causing damage to three police vehicles until they were finally arrested.
At the end of November the investigators detected how members of the plot were willing to transport a semi-rigid vessel, called 'narcolanchas', in order to be used for the transport of narcotic substances.
In this way a trailer truck carrying a canvas semi-trailer was located in Cártama (Málaga), whose owner was one of the people that the leaders of the organization used as 'straw man' to put various properties in his name. The trailer truck was intercepted in the vicinity of the Guadalquivir River, as it passed through the municipality of Lebrija (Seville) and, taking advantage of the moment in which they were preparing to deliver the boat for launching into the waters of the river, the agents stopped three people and intervened the 'narcolancha' of about 12 meters in length and three engines -with a total power of 1050 hp-.
Seized waterproof suits
Finally, at the beginning of December, in coordination with the Court of Instruction No. 1 of Malaga, five members of the criminal organization were arrested, among which were their top leaders. During the device three home searches were carried out in which 44,000 euros were intervened in cash, abundant electronic maritime navigation equipment and eight waterproof wetsuits for the members of the crew of the 'narcolanchas'.
One of the houses was used by one of the leaders as a concentration point for the 'narcolanche' crews, also finding two hashish tablets of the so-called 'samples' and two accounting books, in addition to four sealed drums with food still fresh, destined to members of the crews that are on the high seas waiting to load the narcotic substance they are looking for to settle on the coast.
With the operation 'Caravan' one of the most active criminal organizations in the province of Malaga is dismantled.