Spanish police have taken out a suspected British-led drugs gang in Magaluf.
Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido tweeted his support for the Civil Guard as it emerged 12 of the 14 alleged members of the gang had been remanded in custody after a court appearance on Saturday.
Officers revealed just ahead of the hearings, held in private at a court in the Majorcan capital Palma, that 12 of the 14 people held during dawn raids on Thursday were from the UK. One was Spanish and one was Dominican.
Three kilos of cocaine were seized along with other drugs including ecstasy and nearly £100,000 in cash. Several of the suspects detained in Magaluf were women (pictured)
Three kilos of cocaine were seized along with other drugs including ecstasy and nearly £100,000 in cash.
Several of the suspects frogmarched to court in handcuffs on Saturday were women. Most of the detainees were from Liverpool and Manchester.
Mr Zoido used his official Twitter account to write: ‘Congratulations to the Civil Guard for dismantling a gang selling cocaine in Magaluf. There are 14 detainees.’
Local reports over the weekend said the gang was selling around eight kilos of cocaine a month and smuggling drugs into Majorca on speedboats they used to go to Barcelona and back in the same day.
The police operation, called Operation Tatum, was aided by officers from Britain’s National Crime Agency who travelled to Majorca to take part in Thursday’s raids by heavily-armed officers in balaclavas supported by a helicopter.
Operation Tatum was linked to a major drugs bust last summer in Majorca called Operation Daju, which resulted in the arrest of five Britons and seizure of 4.8 kilos of cocaine.
Several of the suspects frogmarched to court in handcuffs on Saturday were women. Most of the detainees were from Liverpool and Manchester
The Civil Guard said in a statement: ‘The Civil Guard has arrested 14 people, 13 in Majorca and one in Barcelona, suspected of belonging to a criminal organisation selling drugs in nightspots in Magaluf.
‘During the 12 raids that took place, three kilos of high-purity cocaine were seized along with different amount of ecstasy pills, cannabis resin and methamphetamine, 103,000 euros in cash and four vehicles.
‘The operation began as a result of Operation Daju which took place in July last year.’
Confirming 12 Brits were among the 14 arrested, the force added: ‘Officers from Britain’s National Crime Agency have cooperated with the Civil Guard to detain the members of this organisation.’