The European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol on Tuesday said it busted an international drug trafficking ring in several European countries.
Fourteen suspects were arrested in Belgium, Germany and Italy, Europol said in The Hague. Eleven properties were searched and 780 kilograms of cocaine seized as part of the operation.
Europol believes the gang was led by an Italian family and had suppliers in Colombia and lab technicians in Belgium.
It is suspected of having smuggled large quantities of cocaine paste from Colombia via European ports. The drugs are believed to have been stored in Belgian warehouses which were also used as laboratories for further processing.
Europol says 11 people were arrested in Belgium, two in Germany and one in Italy, with Swiss authorities also involved in the operation.
The gang was also said to be involved in heroin smuggling and money laundering.
