Spanish police swoop on gang allegedly smuggling drugs into Ireland
They also revealed today another suspect had been held in Louth near Dundalk as they said the gang was comprised of Irish, British and Spanish nationals and could have trafficked more than three tonnes of the drug over the past six years.
Ten raids took place in Malaga as part of the operation with another two court-ordered searches being carried out by police in Madrid and Seville.
Cash, a gun, 11 vehicles and six designer watches worth more than EUROS 200,000 euros were among the items seized.
Footage released by Spanish cops showed heavily-armed officers lining up outside one one home under the cover of darkness to smash down the front door with battering rams.
They climbed over the wall of another using ladders before forcing their way in and yelling at the occupants once in: 'Al suelo' which in English means: 'Get to the ground.'
One of the suspects was filmed being led out of his house bare-chested in what appeared to be just a pair of boxer shorts, with his hands cuffed behind his back.
One of the weapons they recovered had been hidden on top of a fridge. A spokesman for the Spain's National Police said today: 'Spanish National Police officers, acting with the help of Britain's National Crime Agency and gardai, have smashed a criminal gang that sent marihuana to Ireland hidden in sacks of animal feed.
'Fourteen people have been arrested, 13 in Spain and one in Ireland and 12 searches have taken place in Madrid, Malaga and Seville in which nearly EUROS 100,000 in cash was seized, along with 630 marihuana plants, a semi-automatic pistol and three starting pistols, high-end vehicles and six watches valued at more than EUROS 200,000 linked to the organisation's criminal activity.
'Simultaneously properties and other assets valued at more than EUROS two million have been embargoed.' The spokesman added: 'The investigation, codenamed Operation Epicurean, began in January this year after a criminal network composed of British, Irish and Spanish nationals was detected that was using international courier firms to send pallets of animal feed with marihuana buds hidden inside.
'Investigators concluded the detainees had been engaging in their criminal activities continuously since 2019, and estimated that they could have trafficked more than three tonnes of marihuana over that six-year period.
'The arrests in Spain and Ireland led to the intervention of 300 kilos of marihuana. The arrest in Ireland took place in Louth where a search was conducted by gardai. In Spain ten of the searches took place in Malaga, one in Madrid and one in Seville.
'The cash seized was mostly in euros, to be specific EUROS 95,920, with the rest in pounds and dollars.'
It was not immediately clear how many Irish nationals were among the 14 people held and which court has been put in charge of the ongoing investigation.
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