A pair, both residents of Nigrán, were seized by the Udyco unit of the Pontevedra National Police. After taking control of the group they led, authorities uncovered a substantial heroin cache. Approximately 25 kilos were found in the car used by the two detainees, who traveled in a vehicle with hidden compartments, and additional quantities were recovered in a garage in the same municipality.
Udyco II at the Pontevedra National Police Station. As the chief investigator for the group, José Abreu states that the drugs are of “high purity,” ready for immediate distribution. Abreu explains that the substance could be processed into roughly 65 kilos for wholesale use, confirming that the material’s purity enables rapid expansion of the supply. Maica Larriba, the deputy government representative, and Juan José Díaz, the state commissioner, were present during the briefing. The operation is valued at about 1.5 million euros.
Two detainees are already in prison.
According to the working theory of the Pontevedra National Police investigators, the detainees would source the drugs from international criminal networks based in Northern Europe. They allegedly obtain the material from production sites in Asia and transport it by road to the Pontevedra province, often concealed within vehicles. In this case, 20 kilos of heroin were concealed beneath the underside of a car driven by the two suspects. An additional 4.5 kilos were discovered in the garage of a residence in Nigrán, along with various tools intended to facilitate distribution of what is believed to have been a wholesale lot across Spain and Portugal. Some portion of the substance is expected to remain within the province for local distribution.
José Abreu emphasized that the seizure underscores Pontevedra as a major entry route for drugs into Spain. He noted that transportation by road, combined with contacts within international trafficking networks, has long supported the operations of Galician drug smugglers, many of whom possess extensive experience. By way of illustration, over the past decade the National Police has recovered 236 kilos of heroin in the province and has broken numerous capture records. The 25 kilos seized in this operation constitute a significant portion of the 39 kilos reported in Pontevedra last year. Nationwide, 173 kilos were seized in 2022, highlighting the operation called “Matoxo” and its impact on drug trafficking awareness in Spain and Portugal.