The topography of the Arousan coastline, dotted with coves and inlets, allowed these tabaqueros to bring in the contraband under the cover of darkness and from there distribute it throughout Spain.
Garzón used testimony from two informants known in the media as los arrepentidos (The penitents): the aforementioned Ricardo Portabales Rodríguez and Manuel Fernández Padín, an actual member of one of the clans, to build the case against the traffickers.
[3] On the morning of June 12, 1990 a hundred vehicles containing 350 officers from the Central Narcotics Department, flown in specifically from Madrid to prevent any possible leaks from the local police force, left the main police station in the Galician capital, Santiago de Compostela, heading for the comarca of O Salnés.
[4] It was carried out under the judicial supervision of Baltsar Garzón, Luciano Varela and Javier Zaragoza, the deputy anti-drug prosecutor.
Luis Falcon Pérez "Falconetti" and Tomás Leis Carlés were released on bail, however, they remained imprisoned on unrelated charges.