In a coordinated operation on the coast of Malaga, both the National Police and the Civil Guard dismantled a criminal network responsible for violent drug thefts carried out against other drug gangs. Members used heavily armed tactics, sometimes employing weapons of war and, on occasion, police-style vehicles to project authority and intimidate rivals.
Authorities conducted searches at two residences in Estepona and one in Mijas. A total of ten individuals were taken into custody for alleged involvement in the scheme, with nine apprehended in Estepona and Marbella in the province of Malaga, and one in Ubrique, Cadiz. The Estepona Court of First Instance and Instruction issued provisional detention orders for six of those investigated as the case moved forward.
Investigations under the operation, named Mermaid 21, began after information suggested a west coast Málaga-based network with links to Cádiz was seeking to destabilize rival drug operations. Reports indicate the group relied on both long-range and short-range firearms, and at times used vehicles associated with the security forces to lend credibility and spread fear among adversaries.
Officials noted that the inquiry started in June 2021 and involved a close collaboration between the National Police and the Civil Guard from the outset. Over the course of the investigation, agents uncovered how the two forces merged efforts to track a single criminal network that spanned multiple jurisdictions.
Central to the inquiry was the ringleader, identified as a figure from an Eastern European country who maintained a constant state of preparedness. He was frequently armed and elusive, relying on forged identity papers and frequent changes of address and appearance to evade capture. Descriptions reveal he altered his look by cutting hair, dyeing it, and adopting various facial coverings to frustrate surveillance.
As the investigation progressed, officers mapped out the roles of other members within the organization. They found a structured division of labor, including guards, transporters, and surveillance personnel, all coordinated to support the network’s illicit activities.
arrests
With strategic focus, the operation intensified and authorities dismantled the organization piece by piece. Eight men and two women were detained on charges ranging from belonging to a criminal organization and drug trafficking to document falsification, vehicle theft, and possession of illegal weapons.
Among those detained was the conspiracy’s leader, who was found in possession of a ready-to-fire pistol at the moment of arrest. The case also involved multiple judicial actions: a Marbella Court indictment for illegal possession of weapons, a separate Granada State Court case related to drug trafficking, and another case pending in Albanian authorities involving crimes against individuals.
During the execution of the operation, searches were carried out at two detached houses used as storage depots in Estepona and at a property in Mijas where the leader had resided temporarily. The seizures included significant quantities of narcotics, weapons and ammunition, stolen vehicles, stolen license plates, forged documents, and a variety of equipment used in drug distribution and violent enforcement in the area. The material recovered underscored the scale of the network’s operations and the sophisticated means employed to maintain control over its criminal activities.