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The National Police have closed a drug operation against the gang led by the owner of the Gallera El Chato in Aspe and another criminal group based in Albacete, resulting in 26 arrests and the seizure of 19 kilograms of cocaine and 365,000 euros in cash.
The summary of the operation carried out by the National Police in Alicante and Albacete was presented on Friday, and the authorities reported that two criminal organizations involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking have been dismantled.
The National Police also linked El Chato to the arson attacks on vehicles belonging to the father of Aspe’s mayor and the town’s police councillor, although those incidents were not charged at the time of his arrest and detention earlier this month. The investigation into those fires is being led by the Civil Guard.
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According to police, the anti-drug operation was launched last January following anonymous tips about members of a family clan involved in drug trafficking. The information pointed to the clan operating in a district of Albacete, where several social housing properties were used as drug distribution fronts for cocaine and cannabis.
Investigators found that a couple living in a town near Albacete traveled daily to a neighborhood in the city to oversee the distribution work. Each member of the family had a role: the couple’s children controlled the sale points; the women recruited customers and warned of police presence; and the nephews served the clients who bought the drugs. As a security measure, they regularly changed the locations where sales took place.
Drugs from Alicante to Albacete
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Last September, several drug shipments were detected by members of an Alicante-based criminal organization led by the owner of Gallera El Chato in Aspe, a familiar figure to the National Police who has three arrests this year.
The police found that large quantities of cocaine were being transported to Albacete in a discreet vehicle that had a stash compartment to store the drugs. The car was driven by a 64-year-old man with no prior police record, and on October 6 he was arrested as he was about to hand over half a kilogram of cocaine to the Albacete-based organization.
This arrest triggered a broad operation across several towns in the provinces of Badajoz, Alicante and Albacete, with 25 house searches and 26 arrests, all connected to both criminal groups and their collaborators.
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In the actions carried out by agents from the provincial police stations of Albacete, Alicante and Badajoz, authorities seized 19.070 grams of cocaine, 1.500 grams of cannabis, 280 grams of hashish, 365.000 euros in cash, a 9 mm parabellum pistol, 15 precision scales, 2 high-end vehicles, numerous pieces of jewelry and various tools used for dosing and distributing illegal substances.
With this police operation nine drug sale points in the city of Albacete were dismantled, from where cocaine was distributed in significant quantities to various parts of the national territory.
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The investigation was carried out jointly by the Provincial Police Stations of Albacete, Alicante and Badajoz and the Organized Crime Group of Alicante, with the collaboration of several units from the Extremadura Police Command.
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