• 28 people have been arrested
• Records have been made in the provinces of Pontevedra and A Coruña, and in Portugal
• The investigation has been carried out jointly with the Portuguese authorities within the framework of a joint investigation team, led by the magistrate of the Court of First Instance and Instruction number four of Cambados and the anti-drug prosecutor of Pontevedra.

October 18, 2024.- The Tax Agency, the Civil Guard, the National Police and the Judicial Police of Braga, within the framework of the 'Rebote-Ceira-Lobo' operation, in the early hours of October 2, jointly carried out 19 raids and searches in the provinces of Pontevedra and A Coruña, and in Portugal, resulting in the arrest of 14 people. In the following days, 14 other people were arrested, all of them members of a criminal organization who are accused of drug trafficking, smuggling and organized crime.

The investigation began at the end of 2022, when the units learned of the existence of a perfectly structured criminal organization, which was dedicated to the construction and commissioning of EAV-type vessels (considered prohibited goods), which would be used to introduce large quantities of narcotic substances into national territory.

To do this, this organization would have different security locations where they would carry out the manufacturing of this type of vessels. A warehouse has been located in Sanxenxo and another in A Illa de Arousa, where the first phases of this production would be carried out. The organisation also had several industrial warehouses in the north of Portugal, where the activities would be completed. During the investigation, it was possible to thwart the launching of two EAV-type vessels, the first of which was in September 2023, when it was to be launched on the Miño River, in the parish of Lanhelas in the Portuguese town of Caminha, and the second on February 1, 2024, this time in the town of Moguer (Huelva).

International coordination

After several months, investigators managed to identify all members of the organization, as well as their modus operandi, obtaining solid evidence of their participation in the criminal activity under investigation. However, as this was an organisation with a marked transnational character, which operated in both Spain and Portugal, the magistrate of the Court of First Instance and Instruction number four of Cambados and the anti-drug prosecutor of Pontevedra assessed the need to coordinate judicial investigations with the Portuguese authorities, so, after the relevant coordination meeting at Eurojust, it was decided to create a joint investigation team, in order to have the necessary tools to completely dismantle this criminal organisation.

It was later found that the suspects were not only involved in the manufacture of EAV type vessels, launching and management of the various crews, since, as a result of the surveillance carried out, evidence was obtained that they were also involved in the distribution of large quantities of narcotic substances in parallel.

Once all the evidence had been gathered, investigators requested the necessary entry and search warrants, 18 in Spain and one in Portugal, which were authorized by the Portuguese and Spanish judicial authorities.

Following the authorisations, the operation was launched on 2 October, with the participation of more than 200 agents from different bodies. In addition to the investigative units (the Combined Customs Surveillance Unit of Pontevedra, the Organised Crime and Anti-Drug Team of the Pontevedra Command and Group I of UDYCO of the Pontevedra Provincial Police Station), the GRS of Pontevedra and León, USECIC of Pontevedra and A Coruña, and the Guardia Civil also collaborated; and UIP of Vigo, GOES of A Coruña and UPR, on behalf of the National Police.

During the entry and search procedures and in the following days, the 28 people were arrested, while 23 kilos of heroin, two marijuana plantations and five kilos of buds, four EAV-type boats, more than 150,000 euros in cash, three vehicles with concealment markings and various computer and telephone equipment were seized.