SPANISH POLICE HAVE said that gardaí in Ireland have arrested a man linked to a major organised crime drug smuggling group in Spain.

In a statement released on their website the National Police in Spain have said that the lengthy months long operation took place in locations in Madrid, Malaga, Seville and County Louth in Ireland.

An Garda Síochána has a liaison officer in Madrid who works closely with the Spanish law enforcement agencies. 

The police said they arrested 13 people and gardaí detained one person in ireland – the plot was to smuggle the cannabis in animal feed. 

The Spanish searches included €100,000 in cash, 630 marijuana plants, a firearm and three detonators. They also seized high-end vehicles and luxury watches. There was also a freezing of assets and property. 

The Spanish said the operation began in January of this year when it was found that there was a criminal network comprised of British, Irish, and Spanish citizens.

The network used “international freight forwarding companies” to ship pallets of animal feed containing marijuana buds. Investigators discovered that these shipments were regularly sent to the Britain and Ireland and were previously packaged in Spain.

The organised crime group, the Spanish police said, has been working since 2019 and in that time they shipped more than three tons of cannabis.

The Spanish authorities said that the Irish search took place at a house in County Louth where they arrested a person who is an alleged member of the gang.