27 arrests of Canarias cocaine smuggling gang

27 people have been arrested from a gang which introduced cocaine to the Canary Islands by air. 15.2 kilos of the drug, 30,000 € and several firearms were recovered. The cocaine was hidden in a false bottom of suitcases, impregnated with foam rubber, and the gang had a laboratory in Madrid a chemical process would separate the drug and where they prepared it for distribution. Then it would be put back in the false bottomed suitcases for transportation from Madrid to the Canaries. The Guardia Civil say that 21 of the 27 arrested are Colombian, and the remaining six are Spanish. They distributed the drug from Colombia, bringing it to the Canaries by air, and as well as drug trafficking they also face charges of money laundering and illicit association. Investigations started in July 2010 after the Guardia Civil discovered that cocaine was being introduced on Gran Canaria.