Drug Lords Revolutionize Trafficking: ’Narco-Cooperatives’ Outsmart Police in Spain

These are small groups that work autonomously in Spain, but under the direction of these drug barons in Morocco or Dubai. A way for these criminal networks to escape the police. "We no longer have pyramidal structures in these organizations. They operate like cooperatives where they specialize in specific phases," explain police sources to La Razón. One part of the gangs takes care of the suppliers in Morocco, others of the transport and logistics, others of the warehouses or nurseries, and others of the removal and exit from Spain. "Each of them does not know the others in case of arrests," add the same sources.

Faced with the pressure of the anti-drug and organized crime police agents (UDYCO) and their Moroccan counterparts, the criminal networks compete in strategy and ingenuity to continue their illegal activities. This week, the Spanish police carried out a major seizure of hashish from Morocco, after being alerted by their French counterparts. The drug belongs to a Spanish-Moroccan organization that had been smuggling large quantities of hashish into Europe for some time. It was in Almeria that the Spanish police got their hands on this large quantity of hashish hidden in a trailer truck loaded with perishable fruits from Morocco.

To make their business more profitable, criminal networks are increasingly investing in marijuana trafficking. "The profit margin is extraordinary and the large organizations in Germany, France and Sweden have set their sights on this activity," explain police sources. This drug is sold in Spain at 1,800 euros per kilo, at 8,000 euros in Germany and up to 12,000 euros in Sweden.