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THE LOCAL LIST

CRIME

Top ten weird Spanish drug busts

When it comes to smuggling drugs into and around Spain, some people get very creative indeed. In this week's The Local List, we smoke out some of the strangest methods seen by the nation's narcotics police.

Published: 3 July 2013 13:56 CEST
Top ten weird Spanish drug busts
One smuggler packed his drugs stash into bags of frozen meat. File photo: Robert S. Donovan/Flickr

Spain is the main gateway into Europe for cocaine and hashish and people are constantly trying to make a quick dollar (or euro) by smuggling these drugs into the country.

"Traffickers have money on their side, a lack of scruples and they can develop their activities without limit," said Jose Antonio Rodriguez, the head of the anti-cocaine squad of Spain's national police force recently.

But Spain's cops are also a dedicated bunch.

Check out The Local List of Spain's top ten weirdest drug busts.

A recent International Narcotics Control Board study showed that 27 of the total 35 tonnes of cannabis plants coming into Europe were detected in Spain in 2010.

For cocaine, meanwhile, 25 of the total 60 tonnes intercepted in Europe were in this country.

In this week's The Local List, we take a look at some of losers in the drug traffic business.

Some of these smuggling ideas are simply hair-brained, others are ingenious and yet others seem doomed to fail from the start.

Look at our gallery to find out more about Spain's top ten weirdest drug busts. 

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CRIME

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

A top drug trafficker is on the run after accidentally being bailed from jail in Spain, officials said Tuesday, dodging a bid to extradite him to the Netherlands where his Mocro Maffia gang is based.

Published: 24 April 2024 09:23 CEST
Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in January in Marbella, an upmarket tourist resort on Spain’s southern coast, along with five other members of the Mocro Maffia gang.

They are suspected of having bought 172 properties in Spain worth over €50 million ($53.5 million) to launder their gains from drug trafficking.

But the following month a court in the southern city of Málaga decided to grant him provisional release with judicial supervision, against the wishes of public prosecutors and the Spanish government. Judicial sources said Tuesday his whereabouts are now unknown.

“It is worrying news,” Justice Félix Bolaños told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting when asked about the case.

“I can’t comment on any court decisions, but I do trust that the state security forces will bring this person to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

The Málaga court said in its ruling granting Bouyakhrichan provisional release that the risk that he would flee could be avoided “with other less burdensome security measures” than pre-trial detention.

It imposed bail of €50,000, took away his passport and ordered him to report to the authorities twice a month.

Dutch extradition bid

At the same time Spain’s top criminal court was processing a request for Bouyakhrichan’s extradition to the Netherlands, where he is wanted for large-scale drug trafficking.

But it postponed its extradition proceedings because the Málaga court intended to put Bouyakhrichan on trial first for money laundering, court sources told AFP.

When the Netherlands provided more information to back its extradition request, the top court summoned him to testify and when he failed to appear a fresh warrant for his arrest was issued.

Vincent Veenman, a spokesman at the Dutch public prosecutor’s office in The Hague, said it was “unknown” to them why Bouyakhrichan had not been detained for extradition.

“We are currently awaiting a decision on the extradition request,” he added.

“Our experience with the Spanish justice system is that this cooperation is generally good. Dozens of suspects are handed over every year.”

Bouyakhrichan’s brother Samir, another leading member of the Mocro Maffia, was murdered in 2014 near Marbella, sparking a reorganisation of organised crime groups in the region.

The Mocro Maffia made international headlines in 2022 after it emerged that Dutch Crown Princess Amalia had been placed under heavy protection in response to fears of an attack by the group.

Dutch media reported earlier last week that the 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne studied in Madrid after being forced to ditch plans to live in student accommodation in Amsterdam because of the threats.

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