Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• This is the second phase of the operation 'Probirka', the first phase of which was carried out in October 2024.

• The arrests, which took place in the provinces of Barcelona and Valencia, were carried out simultaneously with searches at the headquarters of three companies, where computer equipment, electronic devices and documentation were seized.

February 13, 2025.- Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with the National Police, arrested five people last Monday in the provinces of Barcelona -Barcelona, San Cugat del Vallés, Matadepera and Abrera- and Valencia -Bétera- as alleged perpetrators of a continuing crime of smuggling prohibited goods.

This is the continuation of the 'Probirka' operation, carried out in October 2024, in which 13,000 kilos of a chemical substance included in the European sanctions against Russia and destined for this country were seized in the customs area of the port of Barcelona.

As a result of the analysis of the information seized in this investigation, it has been possible to expand knowledge about this smuggling network that uses intermediaries and front companies in Kyrgyzstan and Armenia to divert chemical products to the real end user in Moscow.

 

In this second phase, new illegal exports to Russia of chemical products listed in both Regulation (EU) 2021/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 May 2021 on Dual-Use, and in Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, regarding restrictive measures motivated by actions by Russia that destabilise the situation in Ukraine, have been documented.

Among the products diverted to Russia, a chemical substance classified as a precursor to chemical weapons or nerve agents, as well as others classified as precursors to explosives, has been found to be shipped.

During the search of the company, 70,000 euros in cash and relevant documents were seized, which are now being analysed by investigators.

Illicit trade in defense materials

The Customs Surveillance Service, within its powers to discover, pursue and suppress smuggling acts and crimes, exercises, among other functions, the investigation and oversight of international trade operations related to the illicit trafficking of defense materials and dual-use products and technologies.

For its part, the General Information Commission of the National Police maintains a continuous effort in the investigation of crimes related to the illicit trafficking of defense materials and dual-use technologies, within the framework of community control regulations and international embargoes.

Operation 'Probirka' is directed by the Central Court of Instruction number one of the National Court and the Attorney General's Office, and has been developed jointly by the General Subdirectorate of Operations of the Deputy Directorate of Customs Surveillance, the Regional Areas of Customs Surveillance of Catalonia and Valencia, the General Information Commission and the Provincial Information Brigades of Barcelona, Girona and Valencia.

The investigation is still ongoing and information on smuggling activities to Russia is still being analysed.