Spanish police bust large heroin ring, arrest 10 in raids

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Spanish police have arrested the leading smuggler of heroin into the European country in a bust that took a total of 10 people into custody and confiscated 55 kilograms of the drug, police said on Sunday.

Police said that the ring based in the central province of Toledo bought large quantities of heroin from sources in the Netherlands and then distributed the drug to dealers in parts of central and western Spain.

Officers raided eight properties in Madrid, Toledo and Cáceres.

Police investigators said they referred to the ringleader as the 'œSpain's Pablo Escobar'ť of heroin and that he was closely linked to a global drug ring directed by a Turkish citizen from Istanbul.

The investigation into the ring started in March and led to the bust of a large shipment of heroin in December. Police didn't specify the exact date of the arrests.