Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• The members of the criminal network, run from a small municipality in Asturias, acquired sailboats to cross the Atlantic Ocean and supply South America with the narcotic substance that they later introduced into Spain.
• Twelve people have been arrested in Asturias, Las Palmas, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia, who have had more than 100 bank accounts blocked and more than a ton of cocaine, three boats, more than 200,000 euros in cash and nearly 50 companies that used to launder money

November 4, 2022.- Customs Surveillance Officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with agents of the National Police, have dismantled, with the arrest of twelve people, a criminal organization allegedly dedicated to large-scale cocaine trafficking using sailboats from South America to Spain. The criminal structure, run from a small municipality in Asturias, acquired sailboats to cross the Atlantic Ocean and supply cocaine that they later introduced into Spain.

During the operation, more than a ton of cocaine that was traveling on a sailboat boarded by the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency last September, three boats, more than 200,000 euros in cash and nearly 50 companies were seized. used to launder money from the sale of narcotics. In addition, more than 100 bank accounts have been blocked.

The investigation began in 2018, when investigators detected the presence of a criminal network based in Spain that was dedicated to introducing cocaine from different parts of South America. The first inquiries made it possible to locate several people who, from the island of Gran Canaria, acquired sailboats to cross the Atlantic Ocean and supply themselves with cocaine that they later brought into Spain.

Subsequent investigations revealed the complete structure of the criminal organization, fully identifying its leader, who was involved in numerous investigations carried out by different European countries. Such was his influence as the leader of the organization, which managed both the acquisition of drugs in South America and its transportation and distribution through Europe through Spain without having to travel or meet with other organizations. He did it, specifically, from a small Asturian municipality.

A counter-surveillance group for the security of the organization

The organization made large investments in security to try to secure its internal communications and thus avoid detection. They also made use of cutting-edge technology, with latest generation mobile phones, and even had groups integrated into the organization that carried out counter-surveillance when meetings took place.

In addition, they had created 50 companies that they used as cover for laundering money produced by the sale of drugs. This network of companies was spread throughout Spanish territory with connections in Panama, Colombia and other European countries, where they represented 'straw men'. The function of these front men was to make it difficult to truly identify the people who were truly responsible for the commercial transactions intended for money laundering.

A laboratory to extract the drug

To complete the investigation, more than a dozen searches were carried out throughout Spain, leading to the dismantling in Valencia of a laboratory used to separate drugs from legal substances. With this, they extracted the narcotic previously mixed in the countries of origin to try to evade police controls.

Among the narcotic substances seized were 1,275 kilograms of cocaine, 1,140 grams of marijuana, 100 grams of hashish, amphetamines in pill form and hallucinogenic mushrooms. Three boats were also seized, one of them 27 meters long valued at 700,000 euros, nine high-end vehicles, 223,000 euros in cash, various computer equipment, 44 mobile phones, two firearms and a multitude of jewelry and watches. high-end.