BRUSSELS, March 27 (Reuters) – A violent Scottish crime gang alleged to be behind drugs trafficking has been targeted by European police, Europol said on Friday, adding that the operation had resulted in 13 arrests.
The pan-European police body said the operation against the gang, which it did not identify by name, involved police in Spain, the Netherlands and Britain.
Europol said eight suspects had been arrested in Scotland, while another five were arrested in Spain.
“The gang is known for using violence to dominate territory and protect its criminal activity. Investigators believe it maintained control over parts of the United Kingdom through intimidation, retaliation and organised violence tied to drug trafficking,” Europol said in a statement.
“While violence played out on the ground, senior figures operated from Spain and the United Arab Emirates, directing operations and managing profits at a distance. From there, they built an international money laundering network designed to hide the proceeds of serious crime,” it said.
In January, Britain said it was setting up its own form of “British FBI” to tackle violent crime and drug smuggling.
(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
