A drugs and human trafficking gang linked to the Albanian mafia has been dismantled by the Policia Nacional in Alicante Province and Murcia.
An indoor marijuana farm had been set up in a Busot house and a second property on the Orihuela Costa was being kitted out for the same purpose.
The criminals- Albanian and Moldovan nationals- intended to use drug sales profits to finance their main enterprise -a sex trafficking ring- with money transferred out of Spain.
The gang planned to expand to the Murcia region and one of them was arrested in a Murcia City real estate agency as she was about to close a deal for coastal properties to house more marijuana farms.
Four others have also been detained, with two ring-leaders jailed.
The crew used fake documents and bogus employment contracts to get the rental properties with each home aiming to yield four marijuana crops per year.
The Policia Nacional said the gang operated in a hierarchical manner, with distinct specialist functions including driving, house finding, marijuana cultivation, and security men to guard the drug farms.
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