National police and the Civil Guard dismantled a cocaine trafficking network linked to workers at a major airport ground handling company serving Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas. The operation identified a route where cocaine was moved from flights arriving from South America by concealing it inside workers’ backpacks.
In total, seven company employees were taken into custody, and one passenger was apprehended as part of the ongoing investigation. The authorities indicated that the detained individual was the drug’s principal purchaser and the head of the criminal group, carrying 14 kilograms of cocaine in their luggage.
Throughout the year, as inquiries continued, the Civil Guard Judicial Police and the Drugs and Organized Crime Unit (UDYCO) Madrid Police Department recovered a cumulative 180 kilograms of cocaine that had been concealed for smuggling into Madrid.
The initial clue emerged late in 2022 during a flight where two backpacks with check-in tags not linked to any passenger were found to contain over 20 kilograms of high-purity cocaine.
Errant labels allowed those involved to identify luggage carrying narcotics and to remove it from the terminal for sale on the black market.
On several occasions the names attached to the bags did not correspond to actual travelers, or the suspects altered passenger names, creating significant risk for legitimate passengers.
Corresponding to one investigative report reviewed by agents during the case, a minor’s backpack tag was replaced with one belonging to a worker, with drugs concealed inside the swapped bag.
Law enforcement noted a pattern of stash locations hidden in backpacks from cities such as Guayaquil, Ecuador; Asunción, Paraguay; or Bogota, Colombia. These loads often moved through Madrid, sometimes touching other Spanish cities along the way.
Between September 22 and 27, the first arrests occurred, including three workers carrying two backpacks totaling 26 kilograms of cocaine. Soon afterward, five house searches were conducted across the Madrid region, resulting in three additional employees being arrested.
One of the organization’s leaders, captured at a residential address by airport staff, was also detained and the seized items were recovered from the residence.
Following the leader’s arrest, investigators learned that the gang planned to promote him further. An additional 14 kilograms were subjected to the same concealment procedure, leading to the capture of a Colombian citizen.
A seventh worker, whose ties to the conspiracy were inferred from mobile-phone analyses of colleagues, was arrested in December and later confirmed in court records.
After court appearance, the main suspects were remanded in custody while others received precautionary measures. The case underscores the ongoing vigilance required in air transport hubs across Europe and North America, as similar smuggling networks adapt to security procedures and travel patterns that connect the Americas with European destinations.