Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• More than 1,700 kilos of cocaine have been seized in the port of Valencia, which were being transported hidden in maritime containers from Ecuador

• One of the members of the 'Balkan Cartel', with military training and high operational knowledge, has been arrested. He is believed to have travelled to Spain to carry out the transaction.

• The operation was carried out in four phases that allowed the determination of the different 'modus operandi' that the 'Balkan Cartel' used to hide and transport the drugs.

September 26, 2023.- Customs Surveillance officials from the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, have closed the main route of entry for cocaine from the criminal organization 'Balkan Cartel' into Spain. Following seven inspections in the port of Valencia, more than 1,700 kilos of cocaine hidden in maritime containers from Ecuador have been seized. One of the members of the 'Balkan Cartel', with military training and high operational knowledge, has been arrested. He is believed to have come from Albania to supervise the transaction. The operation was made up of different phases, which made it possible to determine the different 'modus operandi' that the 'Balkan Cartel' used to hide the drugs.

The investigation began when agents learned that the network could be importing weekly maritime containers with fruit from Ecuador, which would conceal significant quantities of drugs.

Great technical ability of the 'Balkan Cartel'

The agents detected that the criminal organisation used different 'modus operandi' to introduce the drugs into Spain, as they hid the drugs in various ways, making use of gaps in the refrigeration of the containers, designing false floors over them or beams with cavities inside to house the narcotic substance. 

Operation divided into four phases 

In the first phase of the operation, which included the collaboration of the Civil Guard, investigators were able to detect the companies that could be being used by the Balkan cartel, and it was discovered that they had begun to use the maritime containers that entered Spain on a regular basis, importing several dozen containers from a fruit exporting company in Ecuador, destined for Valencia. 

Last June, this criminal network attempted to introduce a significant amount of cocaine that was hidden in refrigerated compartments, seizing a total of 45 kilos of cocaine and arresting the member of the criminal organization on the spot. In addition, three mobile phones and various materials for extracting the drugs from the containers were seized.

New, more sophisticated modus operandi

In the second phase of the operation, continuing with the investigation, various inspections were carried out on containers that had arrived at the port of Valencia, again finding two containers that were hiding 44 and 46 kilos of cocaine each. In addition, a third container with a sophisticated structure was located, which concealed 200 kilos of cocaine in its false floor.

Later, in the third phase, it was detected how the criminal organization was trying to introduce the drugs into the floor beams of a container, where a total of 550 kilos of narcotic substance was seized. Finally, in July, coinciding with the fourth phase of the operation, the arrival of two new containers concealing drugs in the floor of the structure was discovered, and between the two containers 831 kilos of cocaine were seized.