WATCH: British 'Wikipedia' drug trafficker arrested in huge Benidorm narco bust
Police have described British gangster Brian Colin Charrington as boss of ‘the largest criminal group based in the Marina Baixa area’
British man Brian Colin Charrington, also known as the "narco of Wikipedia," has been linked by the National Police to a seizure of 1,165 kilos of cocaine discovered on a sailboat travelling from Suriname to Valencia. Charrington, who has a lengthy history of drug trafficking arrests and a criminal record spanning more than 30 years, was allegedly leading the network behind the shipment.
In an operation conducted in March by the Police and Customs Surveillance, 31 individuals were arrested, including a former police officer, and 23 searches were executed in the Marina Baixa area, including Benidorm. Although Charrington and his partner were among those arrested, they have since been released and are not currently under investigation.
Authorities describe the Charrington network as the largest criminal organisation operating in the Spanish Levante region. They claim to have thwarted an additional tonne of cocaine from reaching its destination, bringing the total amount of drugs prevented from hitting the streets to an incredible two tonnes.
🚩Detenido el “Narco de la Wikipedia” como cerebro de una red criminal a la que se le ha incautado más de una tonelada de #cocaína
— Policía Nacional (@policia) April 20, 2024
➡️31 detenidos
➡️23 registros
🚔Incautados 1.165 kg de #cocaína escondidos en un velero que viajaba desde #Surinam hasta #Valencia pic.twitter.com/96WOY3CoBG
When authorities arrived to apprehend Charrington at his villa in Altea, close to Benidorm, he reportedly barricaded himself inside and threatened officers with a shotgun. Later, he claimed he thought they were robbers impersonating police agents trying to break into his home.
When the authorities finally gained access to the property, assets worth approximately ten million euros were seized, including three boats, 44 vehicles, 40 luxury watches, 60 pieces of artwork, 54 mobile phones, a virtual cryptocurrency wallet, three firearms, the deeds to 44 properties and 74 frozen bank accounts.
One of the most significant challenges faced during the investigation was preventing the abduction and assassination attempt on a member of a rival gang, according to the Police.
Collaboration from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the United States, the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK, Dutch, French, Irish and Spanish law enforcement agencies, as well as the European Maritime Analysis Operations Centre – Narcotics (MAOC-N), CITCO and Spanish Navy, played a crucial role in the investigation's success.
The operation commenced in mid 2022 after identifying several individuals connected to the organisation's leader, many of whom had prior criminal records in Eastern Europe.
Authorities intercepted communication between the suspects and discovered a boat purchased for just one euro. Officials eventually traced the sailboat to the Canary Islands before locating and seizing 1,165 kilos of cocaine aboard the vessel.
In all, more than 300 surveillance operations and 100 tapped phone lines contributed to the successful outcome of the investigation.
Image: Policia Nacional
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