Gustavo Matos Linked to Notorious Drug Trafficking Syndicate

A report from the National Police associates socialist politician Gustavo Matos with a criminal syndicate involved in drug trafficking. The current Vice-President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands took action last January before the Government delegation in the Canary Islands at the behest of a group of drug dealers led by Mohamed Derbah, aiming to halt inspections in cannabis clubs in southern Tenerife, which functioned as a cover for cocaine and heroin trafficking.

The information, disclosed by the newspaper The World, reproduces a report from the internal affairs division of the National Police. This report outlines that the network connected to Matos has links in various economic sectors and within the security forces themselves. This document is part of the investigations that have implicated Francisco Moar, the head of the police involved in the mediation case, from which he was dismissed due to malpractice, as well as David Izquierdo, the former chief of citizen security, now linked with the criminal group.

The clubs that benefited from Matos’s actions are owned by Lebanese national Mohamed Derbah, founder of the Canary Force party, who has been imprisoned since May 1. According to the report, Derbah is the individual Matos sought to assist. Matos offered to mediate between the Lebanese entrepreneur and Government delegate Anselmo Pestana and the sub-delegate Jesús Javier Plata Vera to ensure the cessation of inspections.

Compromising Revelations

The internal affairs document states that “Mohamed Derbah reveals to the politician his involvement in drug trafficking in the southern part of the island, indicating that he operates several clubs, which are under his protection, but cannot function due to police pressure. He elaborates on his power and influence in a mafia-like manner, and the politician is willing to assist via his connections within the Government delegation. ‘Give me a couple of days,’ he suggests to resolve the issue. The gathering takes place in a café of a renowned establishment in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on January 29, and besides Matos and Derbah, Francisco Moar and Jacob Vega, president of Tenerife’s young lawyers, are also present as implicated in the matter.

The report further details the sequence of the meeting, where Derbah, Jacob Vega, Francisco Moar, and ultimately, Gustavo Matos participate. During this meeting, “the socialist politician directly inquires of Derbah regarding his requirements. The atmosphere is one of complete trust between them.”

Engaging Dialogue

Subsequently, the report reproduces the exchange between Gustavo Matos and Mohamed Derbah.

• Mohamed Derbah: Now you will hear about the conflict we are experiencing.
• Gustavo Matos: I already have conflicts that I’m not going to win, I won’t involve myself unless they are to profit, to make money. Ha ha ha. Free conflicts, that’s for fools. What do you need from me? What do you require from me?
• Derbah: contacts, as the situation has no resolution, Speak to that individual, he can help calm things down.
• Matos: What we need there is for someone to intervene and tell that chap …
• Derbah: (unintelligible) is already … then a gift will arrive.
• Matos: Give me a couple of days.
• Derbah: Then a gift will arrive.
• Matos: No, no.
• Derbah: What’s going on?
• Matos: Remove … Remove the gift.
• Derbah: You’re not understanding me.
• Matos: The day I need you, I know I can count on you (unintelligible).
• Derbah: Don’t worry, just call me.
• Matos: I assist my friends because I know they will support me when I need them.
• Derbah: Brother, that’s how it works.
• Matos: Yet you must give me … Give me a couple of days because I need to sort things out, I have to head to Gran Canaria tomorrow, I’ll return shortly, over the bridge, and then I have … So, give me a couple of days, alright … Look: once I finish here, I’ll call the sub-delegate, and the sub-delegate, you know, will likely know things you already know because he has more insight than I do, but the sub-delegate, you’re aware these are politically appointed roles, the sub-delegate indicates that he’s from the same circle as I am, as he hails from the lagoon. It was our proposal, so on and so forth, and I’m confident. I also trust Anselmo Pestana, the delegate, I believe that discussing this with the two of them is sufficient.

• Derbah: that’s right.
• Matos: If I have to reach out to someone else, I will, I’ll let you know …: Mohamed, I need to negotiate a bit more. However, I am confident that when I inform them I’m aware of the situation, they will take appropriate action.
• Derbah: (unintelligible).
• Matos: Okay. Eh … let’s do this: I will attempt to arrange a meeting with the sub-delegate (unintelligible) to see if I can, alright? Tomorrow, well, it’s Saturday, I’ll contact him: ‘Hey, when can I meet with you?’ If not tomorrow, I’ll swing by the sub-delegation at that time and see him before I depart. If not, I’ll ensure I meet him at the latest by Tuesday, okay? Give me a couple of days.
• Derbah: Yes, yes.
• Matos: Once I speak with him, I will update you. I’ll say: ‘Hey, here’s how it went.’

Warning Messages

The report continues to summarise the discussion, explaining that Derbah details criminal actions meant to warn the police to halt their inquiries. “He notes that, as a result of the actions undertaken, multiple vehicles were torched. He adds that this incident serves as a ‘warning message’ in response to the interventions, suggesting possible intimidation or retribution regarding police or administrative actions related to cannabis clubs.”

However, the situation extends further, as Derbah, “in a tone indicating a warning, informs the politician that should the ongoing actions not cease, ‘Many incidents will occur.’ “Following this, they create a subsection discussing the interests of investors wishing to establish marijuana cultivation, proposing they frame this as legal plantations for therapeutic use. “Matos states that it is ‘the business of the century’, with investigators noting that his remarks appear to hint at executing this venture among them.”

The dialogue concludes with Matos stating: “There are disguises as therapeutic, in fact, so legal that … well, you’ll be aware, several matters are pending … I presume you’re cognisant of this because I don’t think it transpires without your knowledge.”