Police break up two criminal clans in Marbella

27 arrests, and the clans took part in durg trafficking, money laundering and cock fighting.Archive Photo of a fighting cock - Ministry for the Interior Two matriarchal family clans of drug traffickers, a total of 27 people, have been detained by the National Police in Marbella. The two families were also engaged in money laundering and cock fighting. Those selling the drugs were, in the majority, hooked themselves and worked in exchange for their daily dose, which was highly adulterated. The Police operation took place in March, but details have only today been released. They registered twelve homes, and recovered five kilos of cocaine, four kilos of gold, eight vehicles, eight mopeds, 75 fighting cocks and a ‘ring’ in the form of a corral. Those arrested form part of an organisation led by two women, whose sons and boyfriends occupied subordinate positions in its structure. Bottom of the pyramid were the people selling the drugs and keeping an eye out for the police. They also had to clean the cars, paint the properties, do the shopping and put out the rubbish. Police say the two families had perfected their techniques to evade both the police and the courts, and had constructed sheds in common areas of blocks of flats which they used to store elements of the crimes. In this way if they were affected by a police investigation they could say that the evidence was in the community area. They also engaged in selling property to each other for some 30,000 € but without a contract or legal registry, which has made it difficult to identify the owners or those renting the property where the drugs were being distributed. The Police say they changed accommodation frequently. One man had installed an iron gate to protect himself and when the police raided his house it gave him time to flush part of the drugs down the toilet. The group are also thought to have given drugs to stimulate the metabolism of the fighting cocks to increase their chances of winning. The Judicial Police, Seguriad Ciudadana, and the Scientific Police from Marbella took part in the operation with collaboration from the Special Operations Group, and the Police Intervention, Subsoil, and Air Unit from the Málaga Police Station.