News of a major anti-corruption operation in Tenerife this week, which has seen one of the most controversial names on the island sent to prison, has not surprised many who have long signalled a small number of senior officers as part of the network.
A total of eight people were arrested by the Civil Guard and charged with a string of organised crime offences ranging from drug trafficking and money laundering to document forgery and extorsion. The eight include well-known businessman Mohamed Derbah, for whom an arrest warrant had been issued some time ago, three former senior police officers in south Tenerife said to have been instrumental in helping Derbah and his organisation flourish over many years in the area. As part of the mid-week operation, officers raided the offices of the Hotel Ponderosa – one of the oldest in Playa de las Américas – which is believed to be owned by Derbah.
Derbah, who is originally from Lebanon, is better known as the right-hand man of notorious gangster John ‘Goldfinger’ Palmer, who was murdered in England in 2015, after ruling the timeshare industry in Tenerife for decades. Although he subsequently made great efforts to distance himself from the activities of Palmer (following the latter’s arrest) and create an image as a successful businessman in his own right, including entering local politics with his Fuerza Canaria party in Arona, rumours have been rife in the Canaries that Derbah was still highly active in crime here and elsewhere.
Court sources say he is believed to be at the top of the pyramid of the organised crime network which has been secretly probed by police in recent times and it is revealing that, of the eight arrested, he is the only one to have been remanded in prison.
The other men arrested include Francisco Moar, the now-retired head of the judicial branch of the National Police in Tenerife, who is said to have been in the sights of Internal Affairs for some time for corruptuion. Two other senior officers, one of whom is still in post at police headquarters in Playa de Las Américas, who were also detained mid-week have been released on bail.
Photo of Mohamed Derbah: Fuerza Canaria Facebook
