This Alicante court reviewed a case this Friday involving fifteen individuals linked to a coordinated operation that funneled marijuana and poppy from Spain to several European countries by disguising shipments as ordinary goods. During the opening session, ten defendants testified about their roles in the scheme. One man claimed he worked for a company that handled pallets and claimed he did not know the contents of what he was transporting, insisting he only managed the shipping process. The rest denied involvement in drug distribution or cultivation. The remaining five defendants are slated to testify at the next session on February 6. The investigation seeks penalties ranging from eight to eleven years for crimes against public health, criminal organization, electricity fraud, and illegal possession of weapons.
The National Police report indicates the defendants operated as part of a broader network. In late 2018 and early 2019, shipments of concealed drugs moved from Alicante to other European nations using a front company listed as the sender. Among the target destinations were Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, and Italy. The prosecution’s indictment states that the group owned multiple properties, including chalets, warehouses, and farms, which served as places to plant drugs and to package and dispatch the shipments through an international carrier.
The indictment alleges that the drugs were packaged in a mountain residence and then sent by boats departing from El Moralet and from Agost. Police confirmed that the front company moved as many as 81 pallets to these destinations between April and November of the referenced year. A framework farm in the cannabis corridor near the Sierra Mediana industrial area in Alicante is also mentioned. During the February 14, 2019 search, approximately 70 kilograms of cannabis were seized, with the total value of all confiscated drugs estimated at 304,272 euros.
The network’s supposed ringleader, known by the nickname Torch, faced detention for involvement in another operation tied to cannabis shipments from Morocco to the province. During the investigative phase, police searched a mountain home in Diyarbakır. The operation extended to a large gathering on a property near Cañada del Fenollar. A defendant represented by lawyer Aitor Esteban Gallastegui asserted that the enterprise was a construction firm and that he had severed ties with drug shipments, suggesting some defendants attempted to recruit him into the scheme.
One employee admitted transporting pallets involved in the case, though he claimed to be unaware of their contents. He explained that a company arranged payment for postage, and the parcels reportedly contained shoes, bags, or toys, while insisting he did not know what was inside.
Organization placed GPS devices on pallets to track shipments
Only one defendant acknowledged any link to the packages, while others denied involvement in both the shipments and the packaging steps. The defendants argued that they were present during alleged murders at a farm claimed to be used for drug packaging and argued that the chalet they rented had no connection to such activities. They asserted that searches at bottling facilities did not uncover drugs. Prosecutors indicated that vacuum-sealing bags found at the packaging sites matched those used for pallets. Surveillance footage from the farm appeared to show activities by people who had previously owned the property.
Police found substantial quantities of marijuana inside the pallets during several searches at the shipping company. The indictment describes the use of GPS devices to track shipments, specially designed compartments to store drug-containing packages, and frequency jammers. It also notes the use of puppets to obscure the true ownership of some assets belonging to the organization. One defendant surfaced as the owner of as many as four vehicles.
Invalidity
The hearing began with a request to annul the operation records. Defenses argued that the measures used against the suspects were improper. Lawyer Roberto Sanchez noted a minibus unloading material at one of the farms and claimed the search was conducted without legitimate cause or the ability to identify the house occupants. Other defense lawyers listed as challenging this annulment included J. Oaquín de Lacy, Mari Paz Alarcón, and Moisés Candela.