Two Irish nationals were among 25 people arrested in Spain after police smashed a suspected drugs ring in Ibiza.
The two Irish nationals were among a group of 14 men and 11 women which included 20 Britons, a Czech, a Slovak and a Spaniard arrested over the weekend.
During the operation police seized 38,000 ecstasy tablets, 4kg of cocaine, 250g of ketamine, 4 litres of GHB, and 50g of crystal MDMA.
About €56,000 was also recovered as part of Operation Arrow - a joint venture by the Spanish National Guard and the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).
One of the Irish nationals has since been released without charge.
Officers believe they have rounded up the most active gang on the island after a series of raids over the weekend.
The group is understood to have rented luxury villas for its ringleaders while recruiting young “public relations” people to distribute drugs in popular nightclubs.
The drugs ring is understood to have been led from the UK with two branches in Ibiza - one in charge of establishing contacts and another responsible for distributing the drugs.
These were smuggled on to the island in cars coming from the UK or in the luggage of British tourists flying to Ibiza. One young British woman is alleged to have carried 3kg of cocaine through the airport before she was stopped on August 8th.
Alleged gang members living overseas are believed to have visited the island to supervise the operation and collect its proceeds.
Dealers were housed in flats and apartments in popular holiday spots. They are believed to have kept some drugs for daily distribution but most were placed in secure houses.
The police raids came after a surveillance investigation was launched in September, when the Civil Guard dismantled a British organisation involved in drug trafficking in Ibiza.
Authorities believe their suspects were trying to build the necessary infrastructure for drug distribution during the summer months.
A dozen properties were searched in San Antonio de Portmany, Santa Eulalia and San Jose de Sa Talaia during the operation. Officers also seized a hydraulic tablet press, several precision weighing balances and a number of substances used to cut drugs, along with a selection of documents.
A Spanish police statement said: “The ring used young ‘public relations’ people in nightclubs to distribute drugs and ensured similar prices were charged at each point of sale, depending on the time and place.”
Ken Gallagher, head of European operations for Soca, said the operation has taken out a gang that was responsible for supplying and distributing a vast quantity of drugs to Ibiza.
“It represents an excellent result for our co-operation with the Spanish, and serves as a stark warning to students and others who might think they can make some easy money through the drugs trade," he said. “These arrests could have significant impact on their future, on their ability to finish their degrees and on their prospects for employment.
“It also clearly demonstrates that career criminals who seek to avoid the attention of UK law enforcement by basing themselves overseas are well within our reach.”
PA