Joint operation of the Tax Agency, Civil Guard and Mossos d'Esquadra

• The joint investigation by Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra and Civil Guard, has led to the arrest of 19 people, two of whom have been imprisoned.
• The leader of the organization had an industrial warehouse in Castelló d'Empúries (Girona) where the hulls of the ships arrived and there they assembled the engines and nautical equipment to convert them into 'narco-boats' suitable for drug trafficking.
• 22 boats, three jet skis, engines and nautical equipment, 48,270 euros in cash and 430 grams of cocaine in rock were seized, with a total value in the illicit market of about 44,000 euros.

October 4, 2022.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency, in a joint team with the Civil Guard and agents of the Generalitat-Mossos Police Squad of the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), have dismantled a criminal organization based in the Catalan region of Empordà that was dedicated to building vessels at the request of other organizations dedicated to trafficking hashish transported from Morocco. The 19 arrested during the police operation are related to the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, smuggling and against public health.

The investigation began in July 2021, when a first launch of a vessel was detected that, due to its characteristics, left investigators no doubt that it was a vessel intended for drug trafficking. Subsequently, the investigators learned of the launching of three high-speed boats destined for international hashish trafficking in the Girona towns of Roses, Llançà and Empuriabrava.

Immediately, and thanks to interpolice coordination mechanisms, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was established between the three forces.

Logistical support to drug traffickers

The analysis of this first information made it possible to locate a logistical support point for criminal organizations dedicated to drug trafficking in Castelló d'Empúries (Girona). The organization responsible for logistics functioned as a business 'hub' with distribution of tasks and procedures, which had an industrial warehouse in the Empordà town.

Criminal drug trafficking organizations that wanted to import hashish from Morocco, which they had previously transported to different points on the Spanish peninsular coast, contacted those under investigation. These, depending on demand, obtained the most appropriate nautical equipment, which in many cases came from foreign companies in the nautical industry.

Once the material arrived, they assembled and prepared the boats and, in addition, participated in the transfer to the point on the coast where they had to set sail. In some cases, as a result of police pressure, those investigated had even temporarily stored the boats in covered spaces: other companies, warehouses, private land, etc.

The boats had to have very specific characteristics: a small size, a considerable load capacity and powerful engines to provide them with speed and maneuverability, in order to transport the drugs in a short time and try to avoid possible interventions by the police forces. As the investigation progressed, the agents confirmed new launches in towns such as Santa Margarida and, again, Llançà.

Entries and records

With the information collected during the investigation, on September 20, a police operation was carried out that allowed seven entries and searches to be carried out in the towns of Roses, Salt and Castelló d'Empúries, affecting both the industrial warehouse that served as logistics center, as well as various addresses. The seven main people under investigation, aged between 25 and 38, were arrested, as well as another eleven people linked to the organization, who had secondary roles.

During the searches, 22 boats were seized, in various stages of preparation, three jet skis, engines and nautical material; electronic devices such as computers, mobile phones, tablets and mobile cards; various amounts of money with a total value of 48,270 euros and 430 grams of rock cocaine, which would have had a total market value of about 44,000 euros.

The detainees were brought to justice on September 22 and the judge ordered provisional detention for two of them, the main person under investigation, and the person who was in possession of the cocaine.

The investigation remains open and new arrests are not ruled out.