Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• 3,780 kilos of hashish, a fishing boat, two boats, a sailboat and two high-end vehicles have been seized

• There are ten detainees for alleged crimes against public health, smuggling and criminal organization

November 30, 2023.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and the National Police, in a joint operation, have dismantled a criminal organization that was dedicated to drug trafficking by sea, they have 3,780 kilos of hashish were seized and ten people were arrested for alleged crimes against public health, smuggling and criminal organization.

The operation began at the beginning of 2022, when Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency in Murcia began to investigate a criminal group based in this autonomous community that would have infrastructure and vessels for the introduction of significant quantities of narcotics by sea.

As a result of the progress of the investigation and the coordination carried out, it became clear that the organization had been simultaneously investigated by Udyco of the National Police in Murcia since November 2022, so as of April of this year it has been jointly between both units.

In the course of the investigations, officials identified the members of the organization and the function that each of them performed and discovered that the organization intended to introduce a cache in the summer of 2023.

As a consequence of these investigations, on August 9, the fishing vessel 'El Línea' was seized in the port of Águilas (Murcia) with 3,780 kilos of hashish resin, and its crew, made up of four, was arrested. men of Spanish nationality. The value of the seized drugs on the illicit market would have exceeded 7.6 million euros.

Later, in November 2023, the definitive exploitation of the investigations was decided, with joint teams of Customs Surveillance and the National Police proceeding to dismantle the criminal group with the practice of two home searches in Cartagena and Carboneras and the arrest of six people in both municipalities and in the town of Mazarrón.

Three other vessels have been seized in the searches: two motor boats and the sailboat 'Soplamangas', 20 meters long. Two high-end vehicles have also been seized.

The police proceedings, the detainees and the seized effects have been made available to the Investigative Court number 3 of Cartagena, whose owner directs the investigations, with the ten detainees being imprisoned during the different phases of the investigation.