Cops raid drug smuggling gang squatting in luxury villa

Cops in Spain have smashed a drug trafficking gang that broke into luxury villas when they knew the owners were away and used the properties to grow drugs.The strategy was so successful that the gang apparently financed a life of luxury and when they were arrested cops seized designer clothing and jewellery, and also recovered luxury cars, boats, guns and hundreds of bottles of top brand champagne.They also found that the gang members had shared pictures of themselves staying at top hotels and visiting the best restaurants on the Spanish Costa Blanca.The criminal group was found to be operating out of the Vega Baja county located in the Alicante province in the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia.Alicante is home of the 120-mile coastline of the Costa Blanca (White Coast) on the Mediterranean which is a popular spot among British and German holidaymakers.Authorities first became aware of the possible existence of the organization when a local from the town of San Miguel de Salinas in Valencia reported seeing people squatting in a home in the area in late January of this year.According to a police report by the Spanish Civil Guard, authorities started to suspect the house “had been destined to grow cannabis” during their investigation of the initial complaint.