Mr E. Moore
Bluelighter
Spanish police crush drug trafficking ring
AFP - Australian police have helped Spanish detectives crack a drug ring and arrest a man thought to be the world's biggest ecstasy trafficker.
Spanish police said they had arrested 23 people and seized 252,000 pills while dismantling an ecstasy trafficking network run by Israelis.
Eleven of those arrested were Israeli nationals who were operating out of Barcelona, in north-east Spain, smuggling the drug across Europe to North America, Australia and Israel, the Spanish police headquarters said.
Among those detained as a result of the year-long operation were the alleged mastermind, 38-year-old Oded Twito, and his right-hand man Michel Elkaiam.
Twito, who is also wanted in the United States where he is considered to be the world's biggest ecstasy trafficker, was arrested in May, they said.
Others arrested included six Spaniards, two Moroccans, a Nigerian, a Uruguyan, an Italian and a Dutchman.
The suspects were picked up in Spain, the United States and six other countries which the police declined to name.
The drug was produced in the Netherlands and most of the proceeds from its sale went to Israel, the police said.
The Spanish police launched the probe into the drug-smuggling network about 12 months ago and said they had received cooperation from police forces in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and the United States.
They gave details of their operation only 24 hours after US officials in Washington said Israeli and Russian crime syndicates had taken over the smuggling of ecstasy to the United States and issued a warning that Latin American and Caribbean drug cartels were also trying to get into the lucrative trade.
Ecstasy is a mind-altering synthetic drug popular at rave parties.
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Source: ninemsn.com.au 2/8/2001
DOH!
AFP - Australian police have helped Spanish detectives crack a drug ring and arrest a man thought to be the world's biggest ecstasy trafficker.
Spanish police said they had arrested 23 people and seized 252,000 pills while dismantling an ecstasy trafficking network run by Israelis.
Eleven of those arrested were Israeli nationals who were operating out of Barcelona, in north-east Spain, smuggling the drug across Europe to North America, Australia and Israel, the Spanish police headquarters said.
Among those detained as a result of the year-long operation were the alleged mastermind, 38-year-old Oded Twito, and his right-hand man Michel Elkaiam.
Twito, who is also wanted in the United States where he is considered to be the world's biggest ecstasy trafficker, was arrested in May, they said.
Others arrested included six Spaniards, two Moroccans, a Nigerian, a Uruguyan, an Italian and a Dutchman.
The suspects were picked up in Spain, the United States and six other countries which the police declined to name.
The drug was produced in the Netherlands and most of the proceeds from its sale went to Israel, the police said.
The Spanish police launched the probe into the drug-smuggling network about 12 months ago and said they had received cooperation from police forces in Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and the United States.
They gave details of their operation only 24 hours after US officials in Washington said Israeli and Russian crime syndicates had taken over the smuggling of ecstasy to the United States and issued a warning that Latin American and Caribbean drug cartels were also trying to get into the lucrative trade.
Ecstasy is a mind-altering synthetic drug popular at rave parties.
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Source: ninemsn.com.au 2/8/2001
DOH!
