'Europe's biggest cocaine factory' uncovered

A raid on a country house near Madrid yesterday led to 25 arrests, the seizure of 300 kilograms (661lbs) of pure cocaine with an estimated value of up to 45 million, together with 33 tons of chemicals used to cut the drug for sale.

"The cocaine seized was pure and ready to be treated for distribution, but the arrests were made just in time to prevent the operations at the lab," a police spokesman said.

1.7 million in cash and 42m worth of goods and assets including property, luxury cars and Russian semi-automatic rifles, were also seized.

Seizures of cocaine are made regularly at Spanish ports, however the discovery of a lab capable of dealing with such large amounts of the drug is rare.

"In 20 years of police unit action I have never seen a laboratory with these characteristics," said Francisco Miguelez, an agent with the special anti-drug unit. Spain is a main through route for smuggling cocaine from South America via West Africa to the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

Spanish police said they were surprised by the level of security employed by the gang - 470 mobile phones were also seized in the raid.

The cocaine was allegedly distributed by Lauro Snchez Serrano, a Spaniard who owns restaurants, nightclubs and gyms in Madrid. Assets owned by Serrano were allegedly used by the cocaine gang as guarantees for bank loans for investments, police said. Profits from drug sales were allegedly laundered by a law firm in Madrid.

Spanish police declined to provide the name of the firm but sources said Rodriguez Casas was one of several firms raided.

"This is the biggest cocaine lab in Europe in terms of the amount of substances seized and the most sophisticated in terms of its structure employed by gang," a Spanish police spokesman said.

The cocaine gang's ringleaders included a Spanish couple who allegedly used their jewellery shop in Madrid as a front for drug smuggling.

Jeweller David Vela Narro and his partner Ana Mara Cameno - both now in police custody - are said to have used witchcraft to guard against bad luck in their illegal endeavours.

Police claimed that, during surveillance of the drug gang, they witnessed Ms Cameno sacrifice animals including ducks, lambs and chicken.

The couple were assisted by two Colombian brothers who police allege arranged the delivery of cocaine into Spain in shipping containers supposedly carrying coffee.

"The cocaine was transported from Colombia and stored in the Madrid area, the easiest area to distribute the cocaine to various locations across Spain and to other parts of Europe," the police spokesman said.