The Spanish National Police, in a joint operation with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and law-enforcement authorities in the Netherlands, have dismantled the Spanish ‘office’ of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
The CJNG is a powerful Mexican drug cartel designated a terrorist organisation by US President Donald Trump.
20 people have been arrested for allegedly bringing large consignments of cocaine and methamphetamine into Spain from South America for distribution across the country and the EU.
The investigation began earlier this year after police detected cocaine being smuggled into Spain concealed inside heavy industrial machinery, using the corporate network controlled by one of the cartel’s main Spanish operatives.
Once inside the country, the drugs were stored at rural properties in the mountains outside Madrid and Ávila, areas chosen for their privacy and security.
Domestic distribution was coordinated from an estate near La Adrada (Ávila), with branches in Bilbao and Valencia, using vehicles fitted with hidden compartments to transport the drugs.
For international transport, the organisation operated further properties in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo), where the industrial machinery containing the narcotics was received and dispatched onwards to Italy.
In September, investigators detected the first shipment of cocaine headed to Italy through a Neapolitan Camorra boss linked to the Amato-Pagano clan.
The person responsible for supporting the cartel’s entire import, storage and distribution structure in Spain was a Spanish businessman who handled logistics through several companies he owned. In doing so, he not only provided logistical support but also helped channel the illicit profits into legal economic flows.
The operational phase of the investigation unfolded in two stages – one targeting the core of the organisation and the second focusing on key distribution points in the provinces of the Valencia region and in the Basque Country.
In total, 20 people were arrested in Madrid, Ávila, Bilbao, Valencia and Toledo; 15 have been remanded in custody, including two long-standing priority targets of the DEA.
At the moment the operation was executed, and in coordination with Dutch authorities, officers intercepted a shipment from Costa Rica containing narcotics hidden inside industrial machinery within a maritime container.
In total, police seized 1,870 kilograms of cocaine, 375 kilograms of amphetamine, €275,000 in cash, cryptocurrencies worth $15,000, three handguns, 15 vehicles, and 14 kilograms of silver.
Spain is a major gateway to Europe for North African hashish and South American cocaine, making the country a magnet for international criminal gangs.
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