European police targets violent Scottish crime gang behind drug trafficking

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.

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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

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