Two large vehicles carrying 1,300 kilos of cocaine were intercepted by agents from the Drug and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO) of the National Police in Alicante. The French Customs and the Central Investigation Office of the Polish Police provided support to the investigation, which was conducted by the Alicante Police Station in collaboration with the Catalonia Headquarters and coordinated by Europol.

According to sources from the investigation, these vehicles were intercepted at a service station in France and in an area near Barcelona after travelling through the province of Alicante. The operation has led to the interception of over one tonne of narcotics that were intended for several European countries.

The events occurred on March 16th when French authorities discovered a large vehicle with Polish registration at a service station in France, en route to Lyon. 800 kilogrammes of cocaine were discovered concealed within aluminium materials during the inspection of this vehicle. The coordination mechanisms between countries were immediately activated through Europol, and the driver was arrested for an alleged offence against public health.

Cooperation was established with the Central Investigation Office of the Police, specifically with the department in Rzeszów, following the discovery of the first vehicle. This collaboration resulted in the discovery of a second truck near Barcelona.

The National Police discovered an additional 500 kilogrammes of cocaine, this time concealed among porcelain construction materials, as a result of their collaboration with the Polish side. The National Police’s Special Security Operations Group (GOES) provided assistance to the investigators in the transportation of the narcotics.

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Currently, the investigation is ongoing, and Europol is coordinating efforts between Spain, France, and Poland to dismantle the criminal organisation that is dedicated to high-level drug trafficking.

The National Police arrested a man in Benidorm on suspicion of violating workers’ rights. The suspect hired undocumented immigrants for construction jobs and then threatened to alert authorities about their condition in order to exploit them.

The police inquiry began after they received information about the potential hiring of illegal immigrants in construction. Following early enquiries, it was determined that numerous nationals were working on a villa construction site in Benidorm, the majority of them without work or residency permits. Apparently, the employer who recruited the workers did not pay them and threatened to denounce them for unlawful employment.

Thus, the investigators’ initial steps concentrated on ascertaining the workers’ working circumstances and validating the identity of the person in charge of the hiring.

During surveillance by National Police personnel, it was discovered that a total of 15 people worked on the building site, ten of them were illegal. The primary person in charge of the project was also recognised.

The main suspect’s tactic consisted of continuing to hire persons who were in Spain illegally to work on the construction site, threatening to report them for their irregular status if they sought a salary.

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Once the suspect’s illicit activity was proven, he was arrested for allegedly violating workers’ rights.

At the time of the arrest, an investigation of the construction site discovered a lack of needed safety equipment. Seven workers were found as working without proper personal protective equipment, putting their physical safety at risk.

Investigators also discovered that the building lacked the required building permit, indicating that it was not authorised to carry out the activity.

The detainee was taken before the Benidorm Investigating Court.

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According to police sources Yesterday, Friday 21st March, two men were arrested in Benidorm (Alicante) on suspicion of drug trafficking in a pub in the city’s English district, where they allegedly hid the drugs in fire extinguishers and cisterns in the establishment’s toilets.

During the raid, officers discovered 85 packets MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, and marijuana. Quique Tortosa, spokeswoman for Benidorm Local Police, said that the drugs were “hidden in fire extinguishers, toilet cisterns,” and under the establishment’s cash register. The arrested persons were allegedly protecting the drugs inside the premises, and officers recovered the cash they were carrying, which appeared to be “the proceeds of sales transactions,” Tortosa explained.

The operation is part of the Benidorm Local Police Response and Prevention Group’s daily inspections of the city’s leisure establishments. Themen have been turned over to the National Police for any required investigations.