Guardia Civil Organized Crime and Drugs Squad (EDOA) agents from Algeciras discovered the 137 kilograms of very pure cocaine at a luxury house in Sotogrande’s Rivera del Emperador zone. It was part of an ongoing EDOA operation based on a long-held suspicion that recreational boats were being used to smuggle cocaine into Spain via Sotogrande’s port. Investigators believed the drugs were then stored in luxury properties close to the port’s moorings.
The theory would seem to have been borne out by the raid, in which the cocaine haul was discovered inside the house in numerous bags. Officers also seized a Gibraltar-registered yacht, the ‘Esprite’, in the belief that it was used to transport the drugs. No arrests were made and the Guardia Civil have stated that the people involved are believed to be on the run. Officers have not ruled out the possibility that arrests will be made in the coming days.
These drugs raids have again brought unwelcome attention to the luxury urbanizations that make up the Sotogrande area of San Roque. Last summer there was much alarm amongst residents, many of whom are British, after homes in the area were targeted by Eastern European gangs who carried out numerous robberies.
In December of last year the Spanish government set up a special police squad, Greco, to tackle the mafias operating on the Costa del Sol. At that time the Socialist Deputy, Salvador de la Encina, confirmed that the spotlight would also fall on both Sotogrande and La Alcaidesa in La Línea, where it was believed many of the gangs were laundering money through real estate