Dutchman Arrested in Ibiza for Drug Trafficking with Specially Prepared Vehicles

ibiza - A Dutchman was recently arrested in Ibiza after the discovery of a large quantity of drugs intended to be smuggled to the party island. Spanish police believe more narcotics have reached the island through vehicles with hidden compartments prepared by an organized group.

The first conclusions of the Spanish police are remarkable. Media in the country, such as El País, extensively cover the massive bust.

Police are confident that a significant amount of drugs have infiltrated the island. The drugs were regularly transported from the Netherlands in specially prepared cars with concealed compartments expertly integrated by 'specialists' into the vehicles. Drivers traveled 1500 kilometers to Barcelona or Valencia, where they boarded ferries departing daily for Ibiza.

Spanish investigators concluded that hundreds of thousands of perfectly packaged ecstasy pills arrived at the party island, hidden in the double bottom of the specially equipped vehicles. Once successfully in Ibiza, the gang members unloaded the pills to prepare them for distribution and sale. Spanish police reported that Ibiza was flooded with contraband this way. The seizure of about a million ecstasy pills was the largest ever in Spain.

With Operation Adriatic, which began months ago in Torremolinos, a criminal organization was dismantled that systematically imported drugs to the island, especially for the summer months when the international jet set descends. Nine people were arrested, including our compatriot.

Head Colonel of the Civil Guard in the Balearic Islands, Alejandro Hernández, initiated the investigation between late April and early May when earlier operations on the island revealed an organization that supplied the island with drugs. The pills were said to come from drug labs in the Netherlands. Other hard drugs were also sourced from the Netherlands.

Shortly before, a car from the Netherlands was stopped at the French border and the driver was arrested. This occurred in Irun. According to the police, the driver had made a 'suspicious journey' from our country. During the vehicle search, 25 kilograms of synthetic drugs were found hidden in a double bottom.

This led to a major investigation into the smuggling network. After identifying the network members, arrests were made, and searches were conducted. There was also a raid on a marina. Nine people were arrested, including the Dutchman. Several Italians and Spaniards were also detained. They were brought before Investigating Court Number 3 of Palma on the island of Mallorca, which immediately sent seven of them - including our compatriot - to prison. The other two (female) suspects were released on bail.

During searches - eight on Ibiza and two in Benalmádena on the mainland - one million ecstasy pills, weighing 357 kilograms, were found, along with an additional 212 kilograms of ketamine, 73 kilograms of MDMA (the main ingredient for ecstasy), twenty kilograms of cocaine, and 21 kilograms of pink cocaine (also known as tusi). Ten kilograms of hashish and six kilograms of marijuana were also seized, totaling over seven hundred kilograms of drugs. The Civil Guard estimates the total value of the seizure to be over 25 million euros.

'The largest quantity of drugs was found at one of the addresses on Ibiza,' Hernández responded. Three vehicles containing drugs and money were also confiscated. Hernández emphasized that the detainees are part of an international criminal organization. The number of involved Dutch nationals is said to be significantly higher. Further arrests, in collaboration with authorities from other countries, are not ruled out.

The head colonel fervently hopes that the gang members will be convicted, unlike what happened with a similar organization in the past. After numerous arrests following Operation Dragon Ball, which saw a significant amount of methamphetamine seized, all members were released due to a judicial error. 'I truly hope it doesn't happen this time,' he said.