40 people have been arrested in a major police crackdown on drug trafficking across the Canary Islands in an operation called ‘Sombra Negra’, or ‘Black Shadow’. The raid is one of the largest anti-narcotics interventions carried out in recent years.
National Police officers, along with the Central Anti-Drugs Unit, carried out simultaneous raids in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote, seizing drugs, cash, electronic equipment, and documents during their searches.
Those arrested are suspected of drug smuggling, money laundering, and being members of a criminal organisation. The operation is still ongoing with more arrests expected in the next few days.
The network is believed to have had a strict chain of command and used tight security protocols to avoid detection.
The investigation is being carried out under a secrecy order, with no official confirmation yet on how much cash or narcotics were recovered.
This comes just six months after another drug gang, linked to cocaine and heroin trafficking between the eastern islands, and reportedly connected to a Nigerian network, was dismantled with nine people arrested.
