There are many underworld minnows, and some big fish. And then there are the whales
Finally, while hiding in plain sight in Dubai, the whales were the catch of the day — six high-value
targets said to form a "super cartel," responsible for a third of all the cocaine in Europe. For years
now these rich, powerful, prolific, men have been among the most wanted and difficult creatures to
capture. They've been declared bona fide drug lords — kingpins — with roots in the Balkans, Britain
Netherlands, North Africa, and Panama. And don't worry: I will name names. The Mob Reporter here with details on
one of the most important international mega- operations in years, involving law enforcement
from America, France, Holland, Spain, Belgium, and most surprisingly, the United Arab Emirates
previously valued as a gilded sanctuary for the world's biggest narcos. Let me tell you about it
Doors were smashed, men arrested, luxurious villas searched, assets seized, evidence gathered. A "super
cartel" needs supercars, I guess. These arrests unwound over several days from November
8th to November 19, 2022, but were publicly disclosed just this week. They are suspected
of moving astronomical loads of cocaine and other drugs around the world — some 30 tons of
cocaine was seized — along with murders, kidnappings, money laundering, corruption, and more. There were
49 arrests in all, in coordinated, parallel investigations. There's a lot going on. Let's
break it down. It was codenamed Operation Desert Light. "Desert" is surely a reference to where the
main event took place, in Dubai, a glittering city of high rises and high finance carved out of the
desert in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pinnacle of all the arrests is 40 year old Edin Gačanin
also known as Tito, who was born in Bosnia, emigrated to the Netherlands, and living in Dubai
where he was guarded by former Bosnian police officers and a top-level martial arts fighter
He was named as a key part of the "super cartel" in its earlier iteration, linking Gačanin to
Daniel Kinahan, the alleged Irish drug boss; Ridouan Taghi, named as the Dutch-Moroccan boss of
the so-called Moco Maffia; and Raffaele Imperiale, of Italy's Camorra Mafia. That iteration of the
cartel was deeply damaged when Taghi and Imperiale were arrested in Dubai, surprising pinches in 2019
and 2021 respectively, and when the Kinahans ran for cover from U.S sanctions for transnational
crime with a $5-million reward for their arrest. We now have new names allegedly filling
out the super cartel roster. Gačanin is described as "Europe's Pablo Escobar." Want
evidence of his wealth and power? The last time he flew from Dubai to his hometown of Sarajevo
in 2016, six officers with federal police special forces called in sick so they could protect him
During his stay, the cops even escorted him across the border for a visit to neighboring Croatia. As
documented by investigative journalists at Zurnal magazine, Gačanin then gave the
federal police force a present: 75 sets of modern tactical uniforms. That is Escobar level. Dutch
prosecutors say Sky ECC messages — a secure phone system catering to criminals — suggest Gačanin
moved an enormous volume of drugs, including 1,800 kilos imported into Hamburg and about 740 kilos
from Durban in South Africa into Rotterdam. The Dutch requests to Dubai brought the arrests of
two high-value targets: Gačanin and 37-year-old Zouhair Belkhair, Belkhair was also snagged
by Sky ECC messages. He is accused of importing thousands of kilos of cocaine into the Netherlands
There was plenty of action in Spain as well. There were 15 people and 24 million euros in
assets grabbed in raids in Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. The assets included expensive cars and
luxury villas, as well as cash and fancy watches. The cartel's operation in Spain was divided into
two arms: one unloading coke at Spanish ports, and the other hiding money. The port work was helped
police say, by a corrupt port worker, who was among those arrested. One of those arrested in Barcelona
a Bulgarian man allegedly in charge of extraction, was named as an HVT — that's police talk for a high
value target — and he's the only one of the HVTs caught on European soil. Spain also requested
the arrest of two more HVTs in Dubai. One was identified as Ryan James Hale, 32, a British
citizen who had a breakneck rise as a key man in Ireland's Kinahan clan. Hale relocated to Spain's
Costa del Sol, which is a favorite spot for the cartel, and it became a money laundering center
He lived life in luxury there, until the heat he fell from authorities and rivals grew in step with
his remarkable rise. When rivals tried to kidnap him, he allegedly said in a phone call, he freaked
out and hightailed it to join his friends in Dubai. Although he left Spain, authorities say
he retained control over the Spanish portion of the super cartel's operations. A second British
man was also arrested. He remained in Spain suspected of being the group's money launderer
Spain's investigation started in 2020 sparked by the discovery of 698 kilos of cocaine in the port
of Valencia. Who was behind that failed caper wasn't known, but the investigation took on new
life after Dutch and French authorities hacked into Sky ECC. Investigators found that secret
messages sent through Sky reveals someone with the username "Robo" asking about the status of the
Valencia load. Police say they identified Robo as Hale. Hale, investigators say, was using Sky to
discuss business with another man also named as an hvt and a member of the super cartel Anthony
Alfredo Martinez Meza, from Panama, allegedly the transit man. A master of global logistics
Martinez Meza was also arrested in the Dubai sweep. Cocaine from South America was run up
the coast into Panama, where it was loaded into shipping containers in the port of Manzanillo
at the mouth of the Panama Canal. The cocaine was hidden in legitimate goods being shipped
to Europe and cops in several countries then realized they were all chasing the same suspects
EUROPOL, the European Union's police agency, stepped in to coordinate all the moving parts
French and Belgian police coordinated for a joint probe involving two tons of seized cocaine, and the
kidnapping of a Belgian citizen over smuggling at the Port of Antwerp. Belgian authorities also
seized a million euros in cash. That's this pile here. Their probe also led to the arrests of the
remaining two high-value targets in Dubai: Rabhioui Bourfa and Hoesny Ajaray, two men from North Africa
allegedly linked to the Mocro Maffia. Investigators told me they don't want to say too much about the
details because while their top-tier targets are in custody, they remain in Dubai. They won't
be able to question them for their investigation until their deportation is settled. That's a small
complaint, though, given that until recently there was almost no prospect of them being arrested
let alone extradited. And really this is the most surprising and perhaps important part of all this
Dubai finally seems to be playing ball. The place sometimes seems like another world — gleaming and
modern with more five-star hotels than New York City. But for decades the city was a sanctuary for crime
bosses; a land of plenty for fugitives who have the wealth to survive and thrive there, outside
the reach of even the American and European law enforcement. The final piece of the puzzle that
triggered the sweeps of Operation Desert Light was a political and bureaucratic one. On September 22nd
2020, the minister of the interior in the United Arab Emirates signed a formal agreement with
EUROPOL allowing Emirati law enforcement liaison officers to be deployed to Europe's headquarters in
The Hague. This gave a stamp of approval to Dubai Police from a member of the ruling family, giving
real power to operational cooperation. And finally, no one is talking about the American contribution
to all of this, including the DEA, who told me the agency won't be commenting. I'm intrigued by the
DEA's name for it: Operation Black Tie. To me that signals that agents consider the members of the
super cartel to be among the underworld elite — top tier — those who would wear black ties at a
formal dinner party. In fact, that might be exactly where the name comes from, because undercover DEA
agents infiltrated a Kinahan wedding held at the spectacular Burj al Arab hotel in Dubai
in 2017, and they watched Daniel Kinahan mingle with Tagi, Gačanin, Imperiale, and other alleged
leading drug lords. If you're a Western man not wearing a black tie to a wedding at the Burj
al Arab, you're probably doing it all wrong. Please tap the "Thanks" button to support my
work, or join me on Patreon. Please like, comment, and subscribe. It all helps. Thanks for watching