The Civil Guard dismantles a criminal organization in Murcia that ran thirty drug outlets
34 people have been arrested as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons and money laundering
In the 31 searches carried out, a large quantity of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methadone, and psychotropic drugs have been seized, as well as abundant cash, firearms and ammunition, vehicles and utensils used for the cultivation and handling of drugs.
The Civil Guard, within the framework of the ‘LURIGANCHO’ operation, has broken up a criminal network in Cartagena (Murcia) that ran thirty drug outlets. It is a popular family clan dedicated to the production, handling and distribution of drugs, both retail in the town and other criminal groups in the Region of Murcia and neighboring autonomous communities.
So far, 34 people have been detained, who are allegedly responsible for the crimes of membership in a criminal organization, drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, and money laundering.
The operation began last year, when the Investigating Court number 5 in Cartagena, coordinated with the Special Anti-drug Prosecutor's Office of the Superior Prosecutor of the Region of Murcia, ordered that the alleged illegal activities related to drug trafficking be investigated. committing an important criminal structure settled in Cartagena.
It is a criminal organization that, presumably, controlled numerous retail drug outlets, colloquially known as “gambling dens”, located in the Cartagena neighborhoods of Los Mateos, Santa Lucía and Virgen de la Caridad: the popular neighborhood of “Las 600 ”.
Due to the location of the drug sales points and the residences of the plot leaders, most of them in quasi-marginal neighborhoods with their neighborhood idiosyncrasies, as well as the high security measures that they adopted, the agents have had to employ novel and advanced investigative techniques.
The civil guards have kept an exhaustive control of the activities of the main investigated, which has allowed them to know their customs and their way of acting, fundamental information to bring them to justice and so that finally the responsibilities of each of the investigated.
After several months of investigation and once all the necessary indications had been obtained, the Civil Guard planned the exploitation phase of the operation.
A device with about 500 civil guards
The developed operation has had nearly 500 civil guards. Specialized units have participated, both immediate intervention –such as the Special Intervention Unit (UEI) and the Reserve and Security Group (ARS) -, as well as other specialties such as dogs trained in the search for money, etc.
At dawn on Tuesday, June 9, 31 searches were carried out, 28 simultaneously in the Cartagena neighborhoods of Los Mateos, Santa Lucía and "Las 600", as well as in other homes in La Unión, Mazarrón and Torre Pacheco, the the last two in luxury resorts where several of the main suspects had rented vacation homes.
These searches have been carried out in the personal homes of the members of the criminal plot now dismantled and of a family member who collaborated with them, as well as in five drug sale points that they managed, established in Los Mateos and in "Las 600", access to these “gambling dens” is very difficult, due to the physical security measures adopted by the traffickers, with video surveillance circuits and shielding devices at their entrances.
Different types of drugs have been seized, cocaine in various modes of consumption (1,500 kg), marijuana (100 kg), marijuana buds (16 kg) heroin (0.500 kg), hash pollen (0.200 kg), methadone (1,500 kg) ) and around 45,000 units of psychotropic medications.
It has also been located around 300,000 euros in cash. Two pistols and a revolver have been recovered, all of them suitable for real fire, cartridges, as well as other simulated and compressed gas weapons. In addition, a dozen vehicles have been intervened, some of them high-end, and numerous effects related to drug trafficking.
The investigation remains open, now focused on discovering whether the investigated could be laundering part of the money obtained from their lucrative and criminal actions.
The detainees, between 20 and 60 years old, residing in Cartagena and the majority with a history of similar criminal acts¬¬¬¬, together with the drug seized, the effects seized and the investigative proceedings have been brought to the attention of the Investigating Court number 5 of Cartagena (Murcia), which exercised the judicial direction of the operation.
The operation has been carried out by agents belonging to the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the 5th Zone of the Civil Guard in Murcia. In the operation phase of the operation, they have had the collaboration of the Cartagena Local Police.
