In a case handled by the District Court Second Division in Almería, a sentence was handed down condemning imprisonment for up to eight years and five months to a group of individuals involved in a marijuana trafficking ring. The operation culminated in the seizure of approximately 4,650 kilos of cannabis stash, a discovery that resulted from the covert work of three undercover agents who infiltrated the organization.
The court documents indicate that the Civil Guard’s Central Operations Unit (UCO) had received intelligence in September 2020. The information came from a network of individuals who sought collaborators to help move large quantities of narcotics along the southern coastline of Spain. This outreach pointed to a well-organized plan to transport drugs to the Spanish shores from Moroccan routes using maritime pathways.
Among the people involved was an individual identified as JGBB, who had been contacted by a UCO agent and subsequently met the officer at a local pub in Valencia. The defendant’s account confirms that the contact provided a clearer sense of the operation, including proposed methods for shipping drugs from Morocco by sea and then unloading them along the coast. The secret agent’s role in this exchange was to gather information while keeping his own identity concealed.
Following these early developments, the Almería Drug Enforcement Office instructed the undercover team to proceed with the investigation. The three secret agents established contact with other defendants through JGBB as part of the broader surveillance plan. The group’s leadership was described as having a central figure, referred to in the records as the “boss,” with MLM, JGB, and DTQ handling the organizational duties. JGBB, SAL, and PV were identified as delegates or commissioners responsible for recruiting and coordinating participants who were aware of the plan to bring large quantities of cannabis into Spain.
The court noted that REK was also placed among the group of delegates or commissioners. However, the evidence did not conclusively prove that he was aware of the full scope of the operation. The undercover operation revealed that the agents received up to three payments of 15,000 euros, 8,000 euros, and 15,000 euros for their alleged work in furthering the conspiracy. In addition, they procured a satellite phone and gathered contact details for individuals who would facilitate the drugs’ transfer to a meeting point at sea.
The investigative actions culminated on April 23, 2021, when the fishing vessel used by the agencies made contact with two speedboats. The two vessels transferred the entire cargo to the agents, resulting in the seizure of 155 bales of marijuana, each weighing about 30 kilograms. The operation demonstrated the meticulously planned nature of the trafficking network and the careful execution of the unloading at sea.
Amid the unfolding events, MLM believed that DTQ and JGB had attempted to steal the drugs. After receiving no communication from them, MLM, together with PV, relocated to their Marbella residence in Málaga. The shift in residence occurred on April 24, following a claim that a person physically assaulted the occupant and refused to reveal the whereabouts of the property involved in the shipment.
A day later, at the directive of MLM, the defendants SAL, REK, and the youngest son of the operation’s supposed boss proceeded to a parking lot near a hamburger restaurant in Conil de la Frontera in Cádiz. There, they retrieved 20 of the 155 bales from the hands of the undercover agents, placing them into a van and compensating the agents with a payment of 192 thousand euros in a bag. The agents immediately arrested these three individuals on the spot, and subsequent searches were conducted in Marbella and Estepona in Málaga as part of the same day’s operations, capturing other participants connected to the organization.
As for the penalties, the court imposed prison terms ranging from eight years and five months for MLM to four years and one month for PV, reflecting the different levels of involvement within the conspiracy. The offenses attributed to them included crimes against public health and membership in a criminal organization. The judgement also called for substantial financial sanctions, with fines totaling between 18,000,000 and 36,000,000 euros depending on the specific defendant’s role and level of responsibility in the trafficking scheme.
In presenting the decision, the judges highlighted the scale and impact of the operation, the carefully coordinated recruitment of collaborators, and the extensive use of maritime routes to move contraband into Spain. The case serves as a clear example of the persistence with which law enforcement agencies pursue drug networks that attempt to exploit international borders and coastal routes to distribute narcotics across national territories. The court underscored the importance of ongoing surveillance, cooperation with international partners, and robust investigative methods to disrupt such networks and deter future offenses.
Ultimately, the Almería court’s ruling reflects a comprehensive assessment of the conspiracy, the actions of the key participants, and the tangible evidence gathered through undercover operations. The decision emphasizes accountability for those involved in large-scale drug trafficking and reinforces the commitment to upholding public health and safety in the region.