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

• The joint investigation by the Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance, agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra and the Civil Guard has led to the arrest of 19 people, two of whom have been sent to prison.
• 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, motors and nautical equipment, 48,270 euros in cash and 430 grams of cocaine in rock form were seized, with a total value on the illicit market of around 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 de Escuadra Police of the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), have dismantled a criminal organization based in the Catalan region of Empordà that was dedicated to building boats on demand by other organizations dedicated to trafficking hashish transported from Morocco. The 19 people arrested during the police operation are accused of belonging to a criminal organization, smuggling and public health offences.

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

Immediately, and thanks to the inter-police coordination mechanisms, a Joint Investigation Team (ECI) was established between the three bodies.

Logistical support for drug traffickers

Analysis of this initial information has enabled a logistics support point for criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking to be located in Castelló d'Empúries (Girona). The organisation responsible for logistics operated as a business hub with task and management division, which had an industrial warehouse in the Empordà town.

Criminal drug trafficking organisations that wanted to import hashish originating in Morocco, which they had previously transported to different points on the Spanish peninsular coast, contacted the suspects. Depending on demand, they obtained the most suitable nautical equipment, which in many cases came from foreign companies in the nautical industry.

Once they received the material, they assembled and prepared the boats and also participated in the transport to the point on the coast where they were to set out to sea. In some cases, as a result of police pressure, those under investigation had even stored the boats temporarily in covered spaces: other companies, ships, private land, etc.

The vessels 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 discovered new launches in towns such as Santa Margarida and, again, Llançà.

Entries and records

With the information gathered during the investigation, a police operation was carried out on 20 September, which led to seven raids and searches in the towns of Roses, Salt and Castelló d'Empúries, affecting both the industrial warehouse that served as a logistics centre and various homes. The seven main suspects, aged between 25 and 38, were arrested, as well as eleven other people linked to the organisation, who had secondary roles.

During the searches, 22 vessels in various stages of preparation, three jet skis, engines and nautical equipment were seized; 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 cocaine, which would have had a total market value of around 44,000 euros.

The detainees were brought before the court on September 22 and the judge ordered provisional imprisonment for two of them, the main suspect and the person who was in possession of the cocaine.

The investigation is still ongoing and further arrests are not ruled out.