Joint operation between the Tax Agency and the National Police

• Five people arrested, allegedly involved in large-scale drug trafficking using maritime containers loaded with "pellets"

• The organization had two independent industrial warehouses in Reus; The first of these was intended for the safekeeping and cooling of the substance, while the second was used for packaging, sealing and storing the drug once it was extracted from the material in which it was camouflaged.

• As a result of the searches carried out, more than five kilos of synthetic drugs – "speed" and MDMA –, 3,965 euros in cash, two hydraulic presses, material for the production of narcotics, a truck and a high-end vehicle were seized.

April 7, 2024.- Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, have seized 16 tons of 'pellets' (pressed cylindrical pieces of various materials that serve as fuel for boilers or stoves) impregnated with cocaine, and have dismantled a center for processing, preparation and storage of synthetic drugs. Agents have arrested five people, allegedly involved in large-scale drug trafficking through the use of maritime containers loaded with pellets. The organization had two independent industrial warehouses in Reus (Tarragona); The first of these was used for the safekeeping and cooling of the substance, while the second was used for packaging, sealing and storing the drug once it was extracted from the material in which it was camouflaged.

As a result of the searches carried out, five kilos of synthetic drugs –speed and MDMA–, 3,965 euros in cash, two hydraulic presses, material for the production of narcotics, a truck and a high-end vehicle were seized.

The investigation began last year, when agents became aware of the existence of a criminal organisation based in our country, allegedly engaged in large-scale drug trafficking.

Drugs in containers with sophisticated concealment methods

The members of the organisation – of Albanian, Dutch and Lithuanian origin – introduced the narcotic substance through Spanish ports, using maritime containers, simulating international trade operations with an appearance of legality. To do this, they used very sophisticated concealment methods, camouflaging or impregnating the drugs in different materials in order to make their detection difficult.

The investigation has confirmed shipments of containers of "pellets" impregnated with narcotics – amphetamine or cocaine – to Spain from the American continent. Once they arrived in our country, they were left to
cool down," remaining for a minimum of three months inside a warehouse until they were transferred to another location where the drugs were extracted.

Organization infrastructure: two industrial warehouses in Reus

In the middle of last year, the arrival of a suspicious shipment of pellets was detected, which was subsequently transported and stored in a warehouse located in an industrial estate in Reus (Tarragona).

After several efforts, the agents confirmed that the organisation had infrastructure in the Tarragona municipality. There were two independent industrial warehouses where different functions were carried out. While the first was intended for safekeeping and "cooling" of the substance, the second was used to package, seal and store the drug once it had been extracted from the material in which it was camouflaged.

920 bags of pellets soaked in cocaine seized

For months, investigators kept a constant watch on the ship where the cargo had been stored, although there were no movements of interest or attempts to move the cargo.

It was at the end of last year when the agents detected unusual movement in the industrial warehouse under investigation. In this regard, they observed the arrival of an individual at the place where the bags of pellets were being guarded and, a few hours later, the arrival of a foreign truck that parked nearby. Early the next day, three of the suspects began loading the bags into the truck's trailer, which triggered the police operation. After confirming that the pellet reacted positively to the cocaine test, 920 bags of this product – weighing 18 kilos each – were seized, totalling 16,560 kilos.

The agents also searched the other warehouse owned by the organisation, proving that it was going to be used for the preparation and storage of the impregnated cocaine, once it was extracted. There they found more than five kilos of different synthetic drugs and machinery used in the production of the narcotic substance (a hydraulic press, an industrial press, heat sealers, packaging machines and dryers).

Finally, investigators searched two homes in Tarragona and Marbella – the homes of the main suspects – and arrested the five people involved in the events.