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Drug suspects arrested in Torrevieja masqueraded as police to steal from drug runners
By m.p. - Mar 6, 2008 - 8:29 PM

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They were part of an organisation now said to be disbanded which targeted smuggling operations on the coast

It’s been revealed that 10 suspected members of a gang of drug dealers who were arrested in Torrevieja last month passed themselves off as police officers to steal from other gangs who were trying to smuggle the drugs into Spain. The Civil Guard also say they were part of a much larger organisation which has been under investigation since last June, when almost a ton of cannabis was found in a Torrevieja garage inside a stolen car.

Dubbed Operation Julo, the investigation has led to a total of 29 arrests since then and close to seven tons of cannabis confiscated by the authorities, together with six stolen top-range vehicles, thousands in cash, and weapons and other items worth more than half a million euros.

Seventeen of the suspects are Spaniards, EFE said.

They operated in a number of Spanish provinces, and one of their main leaders was arrested with 13 other suspects in Murcia this January in La Manga del Mar Menor.