A senior Spanish police officer has been arrested after an investigation into the nation's largest haul of cocaine ever led law enforcement to find €20m ($21m) hidden within the walls of his house.
Head of the fraud and anti-money laundering division of the Spanish police force in Madrid, Óscar Sánchez Gil was arrested last week. His partner, who is also a police officer in Madrid, was also arrested but has not been named by authorities. A total of 15 people were arrested in connection with the bust, reported AML Intelligence.
The arrests were made in connection to a drug bust that occurred last month, when officials seized 13 tonnes of cocaine arriving in the southern port of Algeciras from Guayaquil, Ecuador, in what has been called the largest-ever cocaine bust in Spain and "one of the largest seizures in the world" by police. The drugs arrived hidden in crates of bananas.
During a raid of the officials' home in the town of Alcalá de Henares, just 18 miles away from Madrid, law enforcement located €20m in cash within the walls and ceilings of the house. A further €1m was found in two locked cupboards in Sánchez Gil's office.
Sánchez Gil and his partner have been charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and membership of a criminal organization. They have been remanded to criminal custody after appearing in court last week.
Originally published on Latin Times.
