Crime

Sa Pobla drugs gang used a "narco fleet" of cars

Most of the cars were unremarkable, unlike the BMW. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterInca04/02/2017 00:00

During the Guardia Civil's "Operation Tiliuin" against the sale of drugs that was centred on Sa Pobla, fourteen cars were seized. They are valued at 60,000 euros and were used to sell cocaine and marijuana direct to people's homes. Among the cars is a high-range, recently registered BMW, the most expensive of the fourteen.

There are also Audi, VW, Seat and Citroën models, which operated in Alcudia, Inca and Muro as well as Sa Pobla. The use of cars for the sale of drugs is not usual, as normally there are sales points to which drug users go. In the case of the gang that was arrested, it wanted to avoid users knowing locations and neighbours complaining.

The gang members, mostly all Moroccans, had been operating for three years. All the leaders are now in custody. The Guardia's criminal police had the gang in its sights for several months, but adopted strict security measures which meant that it took time to act.

The BMW belonged to a well-known Moroccan businessman, one of those arrested. Apart from this car and a silver Mercedes, the other vehicles in the "narco fleet" were old and had been knocked about. Rather than the high-end cars, these were used for the sales "trips" in order not to draw attention. Deliveries were made for minimum orders of, typically, 60 euros for a gram of cocaine. On top of this, ten euros were charged for the delivery service.