Een door een familie gerunde drugsbende in Dolores is opgerold nadat de politie had vastgesteld dat de vermeende leider van de bende haar cocaïnehandel pas begon nadat ze haar kleinzoon naar school had gebracht.
Officers from Spain’s Guardia Civil uncovered not only a cocaine distribution network, but also an indoor marijuana plantation with 80 plants inside the family home, where someone was reportedly always on guard.
The bust came as part of Operation Transporter Crex, which targeted what investigators described as a family drug-selling operation based in the Alicante province.
The investigation began in February after officers in Santa Pola received an anonymous tip-off claiming a 48-year-old woman was dealing cocaine at various locations around town. According to the information received, she even used an industrial estate as a meeting point for hand-to-hand sales.
Police say they identified the woman and tracked her movements, discovering a daily routine that allegedly began once she had taken her grandson to school. After that, she would travel across several towns in Alicante province to meet pre-arranged buyers.
Surveillance operations allegedly confirmed repeated drug sales in Santa Pola, La Marina, Elche, San Isidro and Crevillente.
As the investigation deepened, officers also noticed a strong smell of marijuana coming from the suspects’ home in Dolores. They further concluded that the family had strict security measures in place, with one person said to remain inside the property at all times to watch over the plantation, the drugs and the equipment.
On februari 23, police moved in and searched the property.
What they found was a major haul: 330 grams of rock cocaine, an indoor marijuana grow with 80 plants in the drying stage, 451 gram marihuanatoppen, 14 gram hasj, and multiple doses of cocaine ready for sale.
Four members of the same family, aged between 19 en 48, were arrested. All are residents of Dolores.
They are being investigated for alleged crimes against public health linked to drug cultivation and trafficking, as well as electricity fraud after police discovered an illegal power hookup allegedly used to run the marijuana plantation.
The suspects were brought before the court in Orihuela, which ordered their release under precautionary measures while they await trial.
