The Spanish National Police dismantled one international drug trafficking network made up of Colombian, Mexican and Spanish citizens who used the European country as a logistics center to distribute cocaine throughout Europe.
In the operation—coordinated by Central Court of Instruction number 2 of the National Court— were detained 12 people in Madrid, Valencia, and Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). Likewise, more than 1,200 kilos of cocaine and 368 kilos of methamphetamine hidden inside heavy machinery were seized.
According to the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit of the National Police (UDYCO) Centralthe organization was directed by two Colombians, father and son, responsible for introducing drugs by sea. Meanwhile, four Mexican citizens They were in charge of the custody, security and storage of narcotics in Spanish territory.
Finally, three Colombian intermediaries acted as links within Spain, which connected the storage points with distribution routes to the north and east of the country.
The criminal group had designed a sophisticated system to hide cocaine inside industrial cranes and heavy machinery that arrived at warehouses in Cenihundes, Madrid, owned by a Spanish businessman considered the logistical head of the network. From there, the cranes were moved to a warehouse in Talavera de la Reina.
The investigation also made it possible to detect isolated farms in the mountains of Madrid and in Ávila, which served as intermediate centers for the storage and distribution of drugs. From a farm in The Adrada (Avila), a van with 30 kilos of cocaine was intercepted heading to Valenciaa city used by the network as a logistical enclave for maritime shipments to the Mediterranean and southern Europe.
During the operation, the agents confirmed the presence of an active member of the Amato-Pagano clana faction of the Neapolitan Camorra and accused of acting as a liaison between Latin American drug traffickers and the Italian network. According to police sources, this cooperation allowed shipments to be channeled to Italy using the same method of concealment inside industrial machinery.
The judge of the National Court ordered the admission to preventive detention of those mainly implicated in crimes of drug traffic and membership in a criminal organization. The Spanish authorities highlighted that this is “one of the biggest blows to industrialized drug trafficking in Europe”, not only due to the magnitude of the drugs seized, but also due to the technical complexity of the criminal network.
The participation of Mexican citizens in this network confirms the growing international scope of organized crime linked to Mexicowith already consolidated presence in Europe. In recent years, Spanish police have also arrested alleged members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Catalonia, involved in kidnappings and drug trafficking.
The operation, still open, could lead to new arrests and reveal additional connections with criminal structures in Latin America and Italy. Spanish authorities consider that international cooperation between police forces will be key to continue dismantling these transnational alliances dedicated to crime. cocaine trafficking and methamphetamines to Europe.
