Spain arrested a top police officer after founding €20m inside the walls of his home as part of an investigation into the largest cocaine seizure operation, according to The Guardian.
Óscar Sánchez Gil previously headed the fraud and money laundering unit of the Spanish National Police in Madrid. Police arrested him last week along with 15 other people, including his romantic partner, also a police officer.
During the raid, police found 20 million euros in cash hidden in the walls and ceilings of a house in Alcalá de Henares east of Madrid. Officers also discovered 1 million euros hidden in two locked cupboards in 50-500 euro notes in his office.
The couple were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and belonging to a criminal organisation. Last week they appeared before a Madrid court, which remanded them in custody. According to Spanish media, the arrests were linked to the seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden among crates of bananas that arrived in the southern port of Algeciras from Guayaquil, Ecuador’s drug trafficking hub, last month.
Police said the drug seizure was the largest ever cocaine seizure in Spain and “one of the largest seizures in the world.” The container was destined for a Spanish importer based in the south-eastern coastal city of Alicante, which “had been receiving large quantities of fruit imported from Ecuador for years.”
Spain is a major entry point for drugs into Europe due to its strong ties with former colonies in Latin America, such as major cocaine producers Colombia and Peru, as well as Morocco, the largest producer of cannabis.
