Spain: Smugglers On Ice

In separate raids, Spanish authorities last week seized 15 tons of pure hashish and nabbed two of the world’s biggest drug smugglers. Acting on tips from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Miami, police detained British-born, Oxford-educated Dennis Howard Marks, whose alias is Marco Polo. U.S. officials believe Marks has been responsible for importing nearly 15% of America’s marijuana over the past several years. Until his arrest, the drug lord lived quietly on Majorca — “to escape British taxes,” he explained.

In an unrelated case, police discovered Europe’s largest-ever stash of hash in a cave near the Costa Brava resort of Lloret de Mar. Air-conditioners and humidifiers maintained the hashish’s high quality, and refrigerated trucks took the product to market in France, Britain and West Germany. The operation, police said, was run by Jacques Cannavaggio, a French citizen.