01/06/2005

Britons arrested over cocaine seizure

Three Britons are among those arrested following the seizure of five tonnes of cocaine in the Canary Islands.

Timothy Kieran O'Toole, Ian Stephen Davenport and James Carabini were among eleven people arrested by Spanish police during the operation, one of the largest ever single cocaine seizures in Europe.

There have been reports that Mr Carabini and Mr O’Toole had Irish passports and the Republic of Ireland government are reported to be investigating this.

Daniel Baulo Carballo and Carlos Baulo Carballo, who are believed to the the leaders of a Galician crime gang, were among the others arrested.

The Class A drugs, which have a street value of approximately £225 million, was recovered in a joint operation between customs officers, the Metropolitan Police and law enforcement agencies from Spain and Portugal last week.

The drugs were seized on a boat off Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.

The cocaine was believed to have been bound for Spain, where it could have been distributed throughout Europe and the UK.

Steve Coates, Head of HMRC Criminal Investigations London, said the seizure of the drugs demonstrated how effective law enforcement can be in fighting the global drug trade. He said: “HMRC, the Metropolitan Police and police authorities from Portugal and Spain can be justifiably proud of this magnificent acheivement. This operation has prevented over five tonnes of cocaine from reaching the streets of Europe and the UK and causing untold harm to our societies.”

(KMcA/GB)




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