Gardaí arrest leader of ‘The Family’ as Europol targets international drug trafficking empire
Spanish police say that a total of 20 people have been arrested over the last year as part of an investigation with Gardaí into “an international network” – and Ireland’s biggest drug gang – known as ‘The Family’.
The 20 arrests include 12 people detained this week in coordinated swoops in Ireland and Spain.
The other eight arrests over the last year include an Irish representative of the gang in Spain, who was previously detained.
The leader of the outfit, one of three brothers arrested, continues to be questioned in Ireland after Gardaí arrested five people on Monday.
Spanish and Italian police, along with telecoms experts from Europol, the EU's police agency, were present.
This was followed by a sixth arrest in Ireland.
Press statements from An Garda Síochána and Europol confirm that a total of 12 people have been arrested this week, including six in Ireland and six in Spain.
A statement from the Spanish police, Guardia Civil, states that 20 members of the gang have been arrested over the last year.
The bulk of the arrests in Spain involve Spanish nationals. Of the six currently in custody in Spain, five are locals and one is a UK representative of the gang.
A number of sources said the quality of the arrests in both Ireland and Spain is “very high” as it includes people responsible for importation, wholesale distribution, logistics, and management.
As the Irish Examiner reported on Monday, the arrests in Ireland include the bulk of the “leadership structure” of the network in Ireland.
Spanish police stated that their first knowledge of the organisation was obtained “at the end of 2023.”
In a detailed statement, they said this led to the “detection of a large group, comprised of about 20 individuals,” whom they described as experienced and known for adopting “significant security measures” to avoid detection.
They said this network enjoyed “a high economic status,” which enabled their collaboration with others, expanding their sphere of influence.
Spanish police said the gang used “sophisticated double bottoms, also known as ‘hides’” in various vehicles to transport the drugs, including cars, trucks, and trailers.
It said these vehicles were used to transport the drugs to an industrial warehouse in Castellón de la Plana, a city in eastern Spain, where products were stored to simulate a legal cargo shipment.
“A heavy-duty tractor unit with a semi-trailer, bearing Irish licence plates, was used to export the drugs, as the drug was destined for Ireland,” they said.
They added that the truck, with the drugs packaged and hidden in the false bottoms, generally left the unit with a half load, to be filled with other legal goods at a nearby company. After that, the journey began through France before reaching Ireland.
Spanish police said their investigation involved Spanish Customs, the Gardaí, the Italian Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate, and Europol.
They reported that 314kg of cocaine and 220kg of cannabis were seized over the year in the operation.
The statement said that arrests this week included the gang’s “leader in Ireland.”
They added that items worth more than €1m were also seized in Spain, including 12 luxury cars, four international transport trucks, €35,000 in cash, a pistol with ammunition, four computers, and 35 mobile phones, as well as various documents.
