A 28-year-old man has been arrested in Alicante after a canine unit dog detected 678 grams of cocaine hidden in a suitcase inside a coach travelling between Algeciras and Barcelona. The arrested individual also had an active search, capture and prison warrant issued against him in 2020 by a court in Almería for another offence against public health.
The intervention took place at the Alicante bus station, located on Avenida de Loring, during a surveillance operation by municipal officers. The police approached a coach parked at bay 8 and used Kata, a dog trained to detect narcotic substances, to check the luggage compartment.
During the inspection, the animal signalled a blue suitcase located in the vehicle’s hold. Upon examining its contents, officers discovered a bag containing a white powdered substance and a square package holding material with the same characteristics amongst various items of clothing. The seized drug turned out to be cocaine, with a total weight of 678 grammes.
Two mobile phone SIM card holders and instructions for a digital watch also appeared in the luggage. Officers verified that the model and brand of the watch matched the one worn by the suspect at the time of the intervention.
Checks continued with the two mobile phones carried by the man. According to police information, the cards from both devices belonged to the same company as the holders found inside the suitcase, which allowed officers to establish new links between the detained individual and the inspected luggage.
During the operation, the suspect himself stated that he wanted to recover the clothes kept in the suitcase once he was released.
In addition to the discovery of the drugs, identification of the suspect allowed officers to confirm that a judicial requisition for search, capture and imprisonment issued by an Almería court in 2020, relating to another public health offence, was weighing against him.
