Spain police arrest 73 in Ibiza drug raids

Spanish police said Thursday they had detained 73 suspects — mostly Italians and Britons — and seized a huge quantity of drugs in raids on the party-loving resort island of Ibiza.

Twin operations netted more than four kilograms (eight pounds) of cocaine, half a kilogram (one pound) of speed, almost a kilogram (two pounds) of hashish, 5.5 kilograms (12 pounds) of ecstacy, 300 doses of anabolic steroids, and 90,000 euros ($128,000) in cash, police said in a statement.

In a swoop on eight homes, run with the cooperation of Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency, police arrested 13 people — nine British, three Irish and one Polish — over trafficking related offences.

“Those detained are part of one of the most active organizations on the island, the main provider of cocaine and other designer drugs in discoteques and other entertainment spots,” police said.

The drugs ring came to Ibiza only during the summer to meet the huge demand from holidaymakers, they said.

Police said they acted on information gleaned when breaking up other mostly British drug-trafficking rings on the island.

In a second operation targeting a suspected Italian Camorra mafia drugs ring, police arrested 60 mostly Italian suspects and raided 22 homes, taking away hashish, pills, cocaine, speed, ecstacy and 21,000 euros.

Those detained were suspected of importing, distributing and selling drugs, mostly cocaine and ketamine, a medical drug that is also abused for its anaesthetic and hallucinagenic properties.

In the two operations police said they seized a total of 5,500 pills, mostly of a type known as Pink Rock Star similar to those responsible for the death of a British woman in Ibiza in July.