Monday 28 November 2022 07:53 PM Wife says Brit suspect in cocaine 'super-cartel' is innocent trends now

The wife of a suspected British money launderer arrested in Spain as part of a cocaine ring bust says he is 'totally innocent'. 

A drugs 'super-cartel' that controlled a third of Europe's cocaine trade was busted by police, with 49 arrests in countries including France and Dubai. 

He is a married university graduate now working in the real estate business after emigrating from the UK, it has emerged. 

The suspect, originally from the Home Counties, is behind bars after being held at his expensive villa in a quiet cul-de-sac near Marbella.

The detached house is close to the Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa where top-tier football clubs from around Europe base themselves to use its warm winter training facilities.

The suspect, in his 30s, did a degree in quantity surveying at a London university and spent many years working for one of the UK's leading construction companies before taking up the opportunity of a career in property development and moving to Marbella.

There is no suggestion whatsoever the real estate company where he works is involved in any wrongdoing.

The suspect, who has a young child, has not yet been charged with any crime.

His lawyers are understood to be attempting to persuade a judge to bail him pending an ongoing probe on the basis that he has work and family ties to Spain and would not pose a flight risk if released.

His partner initially declined to comment when approached by a reporter at their home this afternoon before saying as she went back inside the villa: 'I know my husband is totally innocent and he will prove it. This has all been such hell.'

The 'historic' international operation seized £21.7million worth of assets, including 30 tons of cocaine and the gang's supercars, luxury villas and piles of cash.

Spanish police said the leader of the organisation is a 'British national' who fled his former base on the Costa del Sol for Dubai, where the Kinahan organised crime group are based, after a kidnap attempt. He was later arrested in Dubai.

Another British man was arrested on the Costa del Sol, a Spanish police source said, as officers raided a series of villas in Marbella, Madrid and Barcelona.

The international effort also involved arrests in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, the EU's police agency Europol said in a statement.

'The drugpins considered as high-value targets by Europol had come together to form what was known as a 'super cartel' which controlled around one third of the cocaine trade in Europe,' Europol said.

'The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects' control and command was massive and over 30 tons of drugs were seized by law enforcement over the course of the investigations.'

Europol said Dubai had arrested two 'high-value' suspects who are linked to the Netherlands, another two linked to Spain and two more connected to France.

The agency said the crackdown in Dubai netted a 'big fish' from the Netherlands, who reportedly had links to alleged Dutch crime boss Ridouan Taghi, himself seized in the Gulf emirate in 2019. 

'He was just as important as Taghi, if not more important,' a Europol source said, referring to the Dutch suspect. 

The suspect, who has not been named, had allegedly formed an alliance in Dubai with the leaders of Irish and Italian drug gangs who had also been arrested, Dutch public broadcaster NOS said.

Ten people were arrested in Belgium, six in France and 13 in Spain. Another 14 people were arrested in 2021 in the Netherlands as part of the same operation, Europol said. Six high-level targets were arrested in Dubai. 

Spanish police said more than 500,000 euros (£433,000) was confiscated during a raid on a series of luxury villas in Spain, along with three weapons, high-end cars and luxury watches.

The Civil Guard say some of the vehicles were worth around 300,000 euros (£260,000).