Police smash massive cocaine ring in Madrid
Twenty-five arrested in raid on Europe's largest drug factory of its kind
Special police crime units have smashed what is believed to be Europe's largest cocaine factory in Madrid, making 25 arrests and seizing 300 kilograms of the drug, two tons of chemical agents used in its production, and a huge sum of cash.
Operation Collapse, launched two years ago by the police's drug enforcement unit, culminated in the dismantling of a vast criminal enterprise consisting of a sophisticated laboratory for processing base cocaine paste in Villanueva de Perales and a network of conspirators from Colombia and Spain.
The ring employed an array of gadgets, including directional microphones and special sunglasses designed to act as blindfolds when transporting people to and from the clandestine installation, the precise location of which has not been revealed by police. Dedicated bodyguards, a money-laundering lawyer and a leisure entrepreneur also counted among its number.
