The Civil Guard disbanded an international organization dedicated to the illegal trade in hazardous urban waste transported from Europe to landfills. Zaragoza And lleida with false documents and without any processing.
Within the scope of the operationPoubelle‘, the Civil Guard reported this Wednesday that 19 natural persons and 6 legal entities were arrested or investigated for allegedly being members of a criminal organization, committing crimes against natural resources and the environment, and forging documents.
Police investigations took their first steps within the scope of international cooperation in controlling waste at the border after a suspect was identified. “unusual” truck traffic It is shipped to Spanish companies full of urban waste from Europe.
During initial investigations, agencies found that many interrelated companies were established between South Korea and South Korea. France and communities Catalonia and Aragon Large amounts of waste are traded in waste from Europe.
Dozens of trucks entered the waste management facilities controlled by the organization, but the load appreciationThey diverted it to a landfill in Zaragoza.
They confirmed that by identifying the entire parcel, they quoted prices by proposing international contracts for the management of urban waste “way below market“. According to the Civil Guard, the criminal organization was expected to generate more than 16 million euros in revenue since 2020.
The armed institute explains that these practices are contrary to legislation and environmental control systems, as well as the principle of proximity, where everyone manages their own waste, because “Spain cannot accept the entry of such waste to be disposed of in landfills.”
The criminal organization placed companies between the producer and the Spanish landfill, simulating different treatments and operations that had never been carried out before. It turned out that everything was done in accordance with the legislation.
Thus, tons of waste of all kinds, including hazardous and toxic waste, are buried in Zaragoza every day. “All this at the cost of causing almost irreparable damage to ecosystems and the health of surrounding populations.”
Inspection of the landfill in Lleida
During the operation, 6 entrances and searches were made to the houses and centers of legal entities in the districts. Fraga (Huesca), Terrassa (Barcelona) and Alcañiz (Teruel).
Agents seized 10 cell phones, 6 hard drives, 4 laptops, 9 pen drives, 3 memory cards and various documents. 24,870 euros in cash. Additionally, the databases and emails of the investigated legal entities and those detained were dumped, and 34 bank accounts used for the storage and recycling of illegal profits were identified.
Additionally, the illegal storage area in the district was also inspected. Seros (Lleida) and two trucks for transporting waste.
The judicial authority ordered the imprisonment of two detained people, allegedly the leaders of the criminal network in Spain. He also decided to blockade five real estate and 15 personal property (four cars, five motorcycles and six heavy waste processing machines).
The operation was led by Instruction Court No. 1 of Fraga (Huesca) and Environmental Center Operations Unit (UCOMA) Headquarters of the Civil Guard Nature Conservation Service (SEPRONA) with support from Europol. The Center and the Barcelona sinology service, Zaragoza’s USECIC, Huesca’s EDITE, Zaragoza’s traffic and Barcelona’s Uprona also participated.
The Civil Guard states that such crimes are increasing at the following rate: between 5% and 7% annuallyThis makes it the fourth largest criminal activity in the world, surpassed only by drug trafficking, human trafficking and counterfeiting.
He states that there are studies estimating the annual income of the illegal waste market in the European Union. It ranges from 4,000 to 15,000 million euros and despite the damage done, there is little risk of the culprits being detected.