Joint operation of the French Tax Agency and Customs

• Ten people arrested in Catalonia and southern France, including the ringleaders, for their involvement in four drug shipments in the last eight months.

• The drugs were sent from warehouses in Castellón hidden in trucks and vans with double bottoms and escorted by 'shuttle cars' to alert of possible controls.

• The now dismantled organization had its base of operations in Spain and was made up of individuals of Romanian and Slovak nationality.

July 29, 2025.- Agents from the French Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance Service and Customs, as part of a joint operation deployed over the past eight months, have seized 2,480 kilos of hashish from a network dedicated to transporting drugs by road from Spain to France and the rest of Europe, and have arrested ten people responsible for carrying out the shipments from warehouses in the province of Castellón. The organization hid the drugs in trucks and vans with false bottoms, which were escorted by "shuttle cars" to alert them of possible checkpoints.

The operation, dubbed 'Sivarite', is scheduled to begin in October 2024. As part of the intensification of joint activities between Customs Surveillance and French Customs against drug trafficking between Spain, France, and the rest of Europe, the exchange of information between the French Customs DNRED in Perpignan and the Customs Surveillance of the AEAT in Catalonia has led to the detection of the activities of a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking based in Spain.

This organization, made up of Romanian and Slovak citizens, specialized in the road transport of large quantities of narcotics, especially hashish, and organized convoys between Spain and several European countries. The narcotic substance was hidden among legal merchandise in trucks, or even in vans with false bottoms, vehicles that escorted "shuttle cars" whose function was to alert people of possible controls.

The information obtained by investigators led to the first intervention on November 7, 2024, when the French Customs Service intercepted a shipment belonging to the suspects at the Mougins rest area, near the city of Cannes. An inspection of the trailer revealed 1,385 kilos of cannabis resin, and the two Romanian drivers traveling in the truck were arrested.

Warehouse in Castellón and second intervention

The investigation also led to the location of the drug's shipment in Spain, to a farm in Vinaròs (Castellón). There the organization stored the hashish and loaded it onto trucks or vans for transport. The property was guarded by a Slovak citizen who lived there and was later arrested by investigators.

On May 2, 2025, investigators detected a new shipment heading to France and conducted a follow-up investigation, which culminated in a stoppage in Figueres (Girona) of a Romanian-registered van carrying 240 kilos of hashish, 26.7 kilos of marijuana buds, and 2.2 kilos of cocaine. The two occupants, both Romanian nationals, were also arrested.

Persecution in Spain and France

A month later, on June 3, another convoy was detected leaving the Vinaròs estate, consisting of two vans with French license plates. Customs Surveillance investigators located the vans near the French border and initiated a pursuit that took them into French territory. They requested assistance from the DNRED in Perpignan. The operation resulted in the arrest of a Romanian national and the seizure of 218 kilos of hashish that he was transporting in a van hidden in olive oil containers.

On the morning of July 6, investigators discovered a new shipment from the Castellón area, heading for France. It was found that this time the organization used a truck and another 'pilot car'. The truck was stopped by Customs Surveillance officers at a checkpoint in Llers (Girona), and as a result, its driver, a Bulgarian national, was arrested and 637 kilos of hashish hidden among the cargo were seized. In this case, it was necessary to unload the entire truck in order to find the drugs.

The 'ringleaders' of the organization arrested

Finally, on July 23, the operation concluded with the arrest of four people considered to be the leaders of the organization: three Romanian citizens and the Slovak individual who was guarding the Vinaròs estate. During the search of the property, 13 clear plastic bags containing loose, unmarked white pills weighing approximately 13.2 kilos were seized. Their components are being analyzed. A plastic bag containing 6,260 clonazepam pills, a drug commonly used to enhance the effects of other substances, was also seized.

In the investigation, which is still ongoing and could lead to more arrests, a total of ten people have been arrested, five of whom have been sent to prison, and a total of 2,480 kilos of hashish, 26.7 kilos of marijuana buds, 2.2 kilos of cocaine, and 6,260 clonazepam pills have been seized. The detainees are accused of alleged crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, smuggling, and violations of public health.

The operation was led by the Investigating Court No. 5 of Vinaròs (Castellón), and involved the Customs Surveillance Units of Catalonia and Valencia, as well as the Reaction and Intervention Groups (GRI) of the Tax Agency and the DNRED Perpignan of the French Customs.