The Guardia Civil has dismantled a significant drug trafficking network in Gran Canaria, led by members of the notorious biker gang Hells Angels. The operation, named Tamboril, resulted in the arrest of 12 people and uncovered a hierarchy of criminal activity, including drug adulteration, distribution, illegally holding people hostage, and coercion.
Under the direction of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 2 of Santa María de Guía, officers carried out searches of nine properties, three of which operated as 24-hour drug distribution points. Police seized substantial quantities of drugs, cash, and equipment used in drug preparation and trafficking.
The investigation began after the discovery of multiple drug-selling points controlled by Hells Angels members. These locations were used to fund additional criminal activities. It was determined that the organisation’s leader held a prominent position in the Canary Islands arm of the biker gang.
Suspicious Death Sparked Deeper Investigation
The operation intensified after a murder linked to a dispute between a gang member and a drug consumer in Gáldar, Las Palmas. The investigation revealed that some of the drug distribution points included rooms designated for on-site consumption.
The organisation operated with a strict, hierarchical structure. At the top were full-fledged Hells Angels members who supervised drug operations and maintained control through extreme violence. Beneath them were associates, people not officially part of the gang but loyal to its directives. At the bottom tier were the drug sellers, often vulnerable individuals struggling with addiction, coerced into working for the organisation.
Methods of Control and Violence
The gang’s leaders frequently employed physical punishments and threats, targeting the families of those under their control. Sellers were sometimes detained and locked up, only to be released to carry out their drug-selling shifts. This systematic exploitation ensured the gang’s operations ran continuously.
The dismantling of this network marks a significant victory against organised crime in the Canary Islands. However, the operation has also highlighted the deeply exploitative tactics employed by such organisations, preying on people’s vulnerabilities to sustain their criminal empire.
The judicial process is ongoing, and authorities continue to investigate the broader network of activities linked to the Hells Angels in the Canary Islands.
