The Civil Guard of Spain, with the support of Europol, has completed an operation to dismantle a large drug trafficking network linked to Latin America and aimed at the European Union. This was reported in a Europol press release on January 24.
The investigation, which began in June 2022, led to the exposure of a criminal network involving citizens from Albania, Bulgaria, Colombia, and Spain. Network participants played various roles in the logistics of drug trafficking.
Members of the criminal group were also involved in money laundering. According to law enforcement, they could receive up to one ton of cocaine weekly, which was transported by airplanes and sea containers.
In October 2024, during the investigation, 4.1 tons of cocaine were seized in Panama, which was meant to be sent to Spain. As a result of subsequent operations in December and January, 22 individuals were arrested in Spain, approximately 1 ton of cocaine was seized, along with 35 vehicles, luxury watches, jewelry, and 6.5 million euros in cash. Additionally, 53 bank accounts were frozen, and 48 firearms associated with the criminals were confiscated, according to Europol.
Spain is one of the main transit points for drugs to Europe due to historical ties with Latin America and its geographical proximity to Morocco, a well-known cannabis producer. Last year, Spanish police intercepted more than 4 tons of cocaine aboard a fishing vessel 800 kilometers from the Canary Islands.
