International anti-drug operation "Los Blancos" - member of big cocaine-trafficking group, caught in Romania

A man has been detained by prosecutors in Iasi on charges of being part of a group of Ecuadorian, Colombian and Albanian drug traffickers involved in the distribution of large amounts of cocaine in several European states.

Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors, together with judicial police officers from the Iasi Organized Crime Combat Brigade, the Organized Crime Combat Directorate - Anti-Drug Service, the Center for Police Cooperation and the Iasi police officers organized an action to combat high-risk drug trafficking internationally (cocaine).

The activities were organized on the basis of a European investigation order initiated by the Italian judicial authorities and were carried out within the international operation "Los Blancos".

According to the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), this action took place on the territory of several European states, namely Romania, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Spain, Albania, France, and the United Arab Emirates and targeted a network of cocaine traffickers operating internationally.

The network consists of Ecuadorian, Colombian, Albanian drug traffickers, as well as from other European countries, who have been involved in the distribution of very large amounts of cocaine through cells that were located in different countries.

On the Romanian territory, the "Los Blancos" operation targeted one of the members of this group and consisted of conducting two house searches, on September 15, as well as in enforcing a European arrest warrant on his name issued by the Italian judicial authorities.

Based on this warrant, the prosecutors of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Iasi Court of Appeal ordered the detention for 24 hours of the person requested by the Italian authorities, and on September 16 the Iasi Court of Appeal issued a pre-trial arrest warrant for 30 days until he is handed over to the Italian judicial authorities.

Financial and logistical support was provided by EUROJUST.

The police officers with the Special Actions Service within Iasi Police and gendarmes also participated in the operation.