The Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency have dismantled a criminal organisation specialised in drug cargo thefts in Granada. The operation, named "Nazarí 11 Zegri", has resulted in eleven arrests and 35 searches in the provinces of Granada and Seville.
Operation details
The organisation, which operated mainly in the Granada neighbourhood of Almanjáyar, was dedicated to stealing large quantities of drugs from other gangs. They used stolen vehicles with false plates and intentionally caused collisions to stop their victims. After that, they posed as law enforcement agents.
The assailants, who wore balaclavas and police uniforms, intimidated and assaulted the occupants of vehicles to steal both the drugs and the cars. This modus operandi, which included the use of advanced technology such as frequency jammers and GPS devices, contributed to the complexity of their criminal activities.
Incidents and results of the operation
The violent nature of the thefts has generated significant public alarm, as the criminals carried out the assaults on heavily trafficked roads, such as the A-44 or the A-92. On several occasions, they even rammed police vehicles to evade security checks. One of the most critical incidents occurred in April, when a detainee fired at officers during a search, although no injuries were reported.
The searches carried out culminated in the seizure of over €200,000 in cash, 14 vehicles, 6 firearms, and around 4,000 cannabis plants. Additionally, nine cannabis plantations were dismantled and 30 kilograms of cannabis buds ready for distribution were seized, as well as several kilograms of hashish.
The detainees are charged with several crimes, including membership in a criminal organisation, attempted homicide, drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, and other crimes related to violent thefts and threats to authorities.
The operation remains active, and further arrests related to this organisation are not ruled out. This effort has been led by the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard of Granada and the Operational Unit of Granada of Customs Surveillance, in collaboration with the Organised Crime and Drug Trafficking Team (EDOA) of the Seville Command.
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