Even during lockdown: the south-to-north cannabis corridor and its constant pressure on Vigo

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Even during lockdown

The route between the south of Spain and the north has long been a corridor for organized crime, a constant stream of operations that rarely pauses. Gangs moving cannabis from Andalusia toward Vigo and its surrounding areas have proven willing to travel vast distances; journeys that stretch over 800 kilometers have become routine, despite the dangers. In recent times, police efforts culminated in a major operation this August, resulting in the arrest of a drug trafficker who was traveling from Andalusia with a substantial stash hidden in the trunk of a high-end vehicle. The capture occurred in Porriño, as the vehicle neared Vigo, and the suspect was placed in temporary prison after authorities completed the legal procedures. This case mirrors a pattern: the southern routes into Galicia have long been a lucrative lifeline for networks that traffic cannabis through Portuguese roads to the Atlantic coast, selling in Vigo and the surrounding areas. In the years leading up to this moment, police crackdowns around Olívica and the surrounding peninsula have yielded at least twenty arrests and seizure totals approaching 600 kilograms of cannabis. Police analyses of the network show a persistent, well-coordinated operation, with routine transfers and careful concealment along the way.

During the latest investigations at the Vigo police station, it was disclosed that one transfer would occur as investigators followed clues from months earlier. On Monday, August 22, officers intercepted a vehicle coming from Andalusia in Porriño. When the trunk was opened, the initial impression revealed the scale of the operation. Three bags of what appeared to be poppies were found at first glance. A more thorough search later uncovered, inside the trunk floor and behind a hydraulic system, 611 tablets of the same drug, weighing a total of 60 kilograms. The discovery underscored the methodical approach of the traffickers, who relied on hiding substances in concealed compartments to evade detection. In this case, authorities confirmed the presence of a substantial contraband cache on the premises, directly connected to the long-running south-to-north corridor.

The investigation remains active, and further arrests have not been ruled out. A judge ordered preventive detention for the car driver, underscoring the seriousness of the case. In recent years, the cross-peninsula route has continued to yield arrests, with more than half a ton of marijuana removed from circulation since 2015. One notable operation from years past involved a dramatic pursuit along the AP-9 near Vigo, which ended with a vandalized National Police vehicle and highlighted the risks faced by law enforcement when confronting well-funded clans that transport drugs by car, weaving through Portuguese routes to reach Galicia for sale in Vigo and the nearby Morrazo region. These efforts demonstrate not only the scale but also the persistence of this criminal network.

The Becris operation, spanning 2017 to 2018, marked another major milestone with seven arrests and the seizure of 100 kilograms of marijuana. The crackdown targeted a gang based in Redondela that leveraged a powerful network of cars and vans equipped with hidden compartments, enabling the movement of approximately 400 kilograms of this drug each month from the southern peninsula. The pattern of concealment, coordination, and rapid turnover demonstrates how the routes have evolved into a robust supply chain that is difficult to interrupt entirely.

Continued activity amid closures

Even during the COVID-19 lockdown, criminal activity along this southern-to-northern corridor did not pause. In March 2021, a network operating between the Strait of Gibraltar and Vigo was forced to reckon with its vulnerability after authorities seized 100 kilograms of drugs monthly. The operation revealed how illicit transporters forged documents to simulate legitimate business trips and to avoid border and internal restrictions. A year prior, Operation Guernica managed another seizure, recovering a cache stored in two cars in Tui, after following the Portuguese route into Galicia. These cases illustrate the adaptability of traffickers who persist with their trade even when public health measures and travel restrictions tighten the net around their activities.

Across multiple years, the pattern remains consistent: a southern hub, a transit corridor, and a final market in the Vigo region. The ongoing investigations indicate that law enforcement continues to monitor these flows, with periodic seizures and ongoing court orders shaping the trajectory of each case. While some operations capture smaller quantities, the cumulative effect of these efforts is a measurable disruption to the monthly volumes traditionally associated with the networks. Authorities emphasize that the South-to-North corridor remains a critical artery for drug movement and points of vulnerability for the criminal infrastructure that supports it. This overall picture shows a cycle of trafficking that persists through changing enforcement, shifting tactics, and relentless persistence by the gangs involved, who view Vigo and its environs as a ready market for cannabis coming from across the peninsula and beyond. (Police reports, 2024).

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