The Canaries are seen as a convenient staging-post for moving drugs into Europe (Image: Getty Images)
Southern Spain’s sunny climates have long been a magnet for British crooks fleeing the law, earning it the moniker Costa del Crime. Yet, it’s not just Brits who’ve found a sanctuary in the Spanish sun; Italian mobsters from notorious syndicates like the Mafia, Camorra, and ‘Ndrangheta are also muscling in, particularly on the Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife.
Tenerife, beloved by Brits as a holiday hotspot, is now under the microscope for its darker dealings as authorities delve into the vanishing of Lancashire lad Jay Slater. With fears mounting over the teen’s fate, local police are leaving no stone unturned, considering even the grim prospect of abduction.
Mafia insiders have previously disclosed that Italian crime families are forging alliances with local thugs to funnel cocaine into Europe from Latin America, using the Canaries as a pivotal hub for their illicit cargo. A chilling Europol report has revealed that these ‘Ndrangheta henchmen aren’t shy about employing “violence and torture” to cow their adversaries.
A Europol spokesperson told the Express that a gang that had been smuggling cocaine into the EU through hubs in West Africa and the Canary Islands had recently been broken up. She added: “Drug trafficking networks are known for being extremely violent. The booming cocaine market has entailed an increase in the number of killings, shootings, bombings, kidnappings and torture related to the trade in cocaine.”
“The presence of Italian Mafia groups across Spain is multidimensional,” says organised crime expert Professor Anna Sergi. She points out that the appealing lifestyle, mild climate, and a language with common roots make Spain an attractive base for Italian mobsters looking to expand their empire and set up shop in a new locale.
Italian gangsters find it easy to acclimatise to Southern Spain, Mafia expert Anna Sergi said (Image: Getty Images)
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Professor Sergi has revealed that the notorious ‘Ndrangheta, considered one of the world’s most powerful organised crime syndicates, is the primary Mafia-style criminal organisation operating in Southern Spain. Despite maintaining a lower profile than other Mafia groups, it’s incredibly successful, reportedly raking in a staggering €53billion profit in 2013 alone.
Spain’s Balearic Islands are infamous for drug trafficking:a high-ranking member of the De Micco clan was recently apprehended smuggling drugs into Ibiza. However, any tourist hotspot is a prime target for narcotics dealers: a member of the Mazzarella clan (originating from San Giovanni a Teduccio, Naples) was recently arrested on drug charges in Gran Canaria.
In a significant operation on Tenerife in December, eight Mafia gangsters and a Colombian cartel boss were taken into custody. A police raid on a Tenerife villa yielded around 950 kilos of pure cocaine, an arsenal of weapons, and €12,000 in cash.
Four men with Ndrangheta links were arrested when this yacht was raided off Gran Canaria (Image: Guardia Civil)
In August of the previous year, Spanish authorities and Europol dismantled another Mafia-linked criminal network believed to be trafficking massive shipments of cocaine through the Canary Islands, thanks to a seizure of 700kg of cocaine.
The Italian nationals, who enjoyed a “high standard of living” despite no apparent income, were intercepted while sailing their luxury yacht north-west of Gran Canaria. Officials have stated that this operation highlights the “geostrategic importance” of the Canary Islands in international drug trafficking.
A staggering 13 men have been nabbed with a colossal haul of drugs, including 5kg of cocaine and 94kg of hashish, alongside a hefty sum of 26,000 euros in cash. The gang was reportedly ferrying the narcotics across the sea from Agaete in Gran Canaria to Santa Cruz on Tenerife, before spreading their illicit goods across the island.
A 38-year-old Ndrangheta chieftain named only by the initials M.V being dragged from his €3million Tenerife villa by Spanish pol (Image: Guardia Civil)
In a sweeping crackdown, synchronised police operations across Ibiza, Barcelona, Malaga, and Tenerife led to the capture of 32 individuals suspected of being part of the notorious ‘Ndrangheta mafia. They had connections to heinous acts of torture and murder as recently as September 2022.
Europol released a chilling statement revealing: “The investigation uncovered the existence in the Balearic Islands in Spain of an organised crime group linked to the ‘Ndrangheta syndicate. The criminal gang is believed to have played an active role in cocaine and cannabis trafficking in between Spain and Italy, using vehicles equipped with hidden compartments and speedboats to transport the drugs.”
The statement further detailed the gang’s ruthless methods: “The members of this criminal organisation would routinely use violence, including torture, to further their criminal goals. Some of the arrestees are linked to a number of murders in Italy. The investigation also uncovered the illegal possession of firearms by some members of this gang. The criminal profits were reinvested into real estate in Spain to hide their illegal origin, polluting the legal economy.”
Several mafia fugitives have sought refuge in the Canary Islands (Image: ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE)
Professor Sergi has revealed that, in addition to drug trafficking, vast amounts of Mafia money are being laundered through seemingly legitimate investments in Tenerife. She highlighted the arrest of a member of the Nuvoletta clan in 2019, linked to property speculation over the development of a new apartment block in Santa Cruz, Tenerife’s capital.
Local criminals are collaborating with Mafia groups, providing logistical support, according to Professor Sergi.
A Tenerife-based organised crime group with Mafia connections, involved in online fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, and property crime, is believed to have illegally pocketed more than €10 million in profit in 2020 alone, as per Europol data.
In a joint operation with Europol and Italian anti-mafia investigators, Spanish police seized 700 kilos of cocaine (Image: Guardia Civil)
The agency stated that the money was laundered through “a wide network of money mules and shell companies”.
Southern Spain and its sun-drenched islands have become the front line in the international law enforcement’s fight against an increasingly globalised drug trade.
Marcos Frias, head of Spain’s Central Organised Crime Brigade, told the Guardian: “The Costa del Sol is a kind of hub, or ‘co-working’ space, where almost every major criminal group in the world has some sort of presence.”
He further commented: “It’s a UN of criminals for a globalised world. Marbella is a tourist brand, but it’s also a criminal brand. If a crime boss from Liverpool wants to traffic drugs on a large scale, he knows he has to make an appearance in Marbella. He doesn’t have a choice.”