Watch: British cocaine gang dismantled on the Costa del Sol as police seize a tonne of drugs and an arsenal of weapons

Guardia Civil operation uncovers cocaine packed in Apple branded bricks, automatic weapons and cash at an Estepona property

A major British run cocaine trafficking ring has been dismantled on the Costa del Sol after the Guardia Civil seized over a tonne of the drug during a sweeping investigation that stretched across several provinces. One British man has been arrested, while five international arrest warrants have been issued for other members of the gang believed to have fled the country.

According to the Guardia Civil, the group operated from a property in Estepona, which served as a clearing centre for cocaine brought in from abroad before it was moved around the country. The drugs were transported to various Spanish ports using what's known as the "go fast" method, high performance vehicles and large capacity vans moving quickly to avoid detection, before being shipped onward to Britain by sea.

The investigation began when officers intercepted a white van in Talavera la Real, in the province of Badajoz, and found 17 sports bags containing 423 kilograms of cocaine inside. The driver managed to flee the scene, but further inquiries traced the van's journey back to Estepona, triggering a wider surveillance operation.

Days later, a second breakthrough came in Baza, in the province of Granada, where officers tracking a suspicious vehicle on an industrial estate discovered 326 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside several suitcases. The driver, a British national, was arrested on the spot and later remanded in custody by a court in Estepona.

That arrest prompted the remaining gang members to flee Spain before officers could reach them. When the Guardia Civil subsequently searched the Estepona property, they found another 265 kilograms of cocaine, along with equipment for sealing and packaging the drug.

Some of the cocaine recovered during the operation was stamped with an Apple logo. The search also turned up a genuine arsenal, a rifle, a sub machine gun, a semi automatic handgun, a large quantity of ammunition, and a significant amount of cash.

This bust comes amid growing concern over serious crime along the Costa del Sol. Just two days earlier, shots were fired from a moving vehicle on the AP-7 motorway near Estepona, with the driver fleeing towards Marbella and evading a police intercept attempt, part of what Chief Superintendent Roberto Rodríguez has described as a region turning into a "ticking time bomb."

In total, the operation recovered one tonne of cocaine, making it one of the more significant drug busts the region has seen in recent months. With five gang members still at large and international arrest warrants now in effect, the investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to track down the rest of the network.

Video and Images: Guardia Civil