Joint operation between Mossos d’Esquadra and Italian police dismantled a major criminal network involved in smuggling large consignments of illegal goods. Marijuana and a stimulant were moved between Catalonia and Italy. Catalan authorities called the investigation, which led to the death of 20 people this Thursday, a milestone in the fight against an international drug trafficking organization described as the most comprehensive and wide‑reaching strike to date. [Citation: Europol, Mossos d’Esquadra]
Investigations began a year earlier and, coordinated by Europol, Mossos d’Esquadra, and the Italian Guardia di Finanza, uncovered a logistics network that stored drugs in Catalonia before transporting them to Northern Italy. A portion was distributed within Catalonia as well. Authorities seized more than 30 tonnes of drugs, assets totaling €129 million, and nearly €3 million in cash. [Citation: European law enforcement statements]
Catalan police announced arrests tied to Italian organized crime as part of a group branded as one of the most established international criminal organizations in Northern Europe. The organization was described as expanding its reach into Catalonia, and authorities noted the existence of two interlinked criminal networks driving both drug smuggling and money laundering. [Citation: Catalan police briefing]
A second network served to launder proceeds and fund the operation. The Guardia di Finanza pointed to a so‑called secret banking scheme controlled by Chinese nationals in Italy and Catalonia. Seven facilities in Badalona, including warehouses, restaurants, and clothing stores, acted as offices for the money exchange between the two countries, with Barcelona as the base for Italian leaders who funded the drug suppliers. [Citation: Guardia di Finanza findings]
Investigators located similar activity in Milan, suggesting the area acted as a hub for drug traffickers. A video camera used by the Italian police captured payments totaling €26 million for narcotics moving from Catalonia over a six‑month span. [Citation: Milan investigations]
non-transparent banking system
Catalan authorities say the gang operated with a parallel banking system that remained opaque to regular financial monitoring. The system, described to be controlled by a group linked to Chinese nationals, marked a new pattern identified in Catalonia. Four Chinese nationals were arrested in Italy for alleged links to these secret payments, while nine others are under investigation in Catalonia. [Citation: Mossos d’Esquadra update]
Mossos officials explained that the illicit profits were camouflaged through transfers of large sums across borders via a network of offices. To hide illegal activity, the network created two separate business structures outside the central headquarters responsible for collections and settlements. Cash payments supported drug transport into Italy, with a twin operation in Catalonia that coordinated transactions and payments. [Citation: Police statements]
Payments in cash financed drug movements into Italy, and a European‑based business entity coordinated the flow. The Italian group managing the network reportedly procured goods from Badalona and received the designated funds by applying a specific code. Authorities emphasized that this system complicated money laundering detection. [Citation: Financial investigation reports]
A fake kidnapping
Badalona Court of Inquiry and the Prosecutor’s Office, with anti‑mafia units from Italy, described a supposed kidnapping as part of the case. Mossos stated the incident was staged to mislead investigators. The death of an Italian citizen in January 2022 led to initial contacts with Italian counterparts and the development of a broader cross‑border inquiry. [Citation: Badalona court records]
Following this ruse, Mossos and the Milan Guardia di Finanza explored a suspicious episode that occurred in Badalona during a COVID lockdown period. The incident involved a person found with around €300,000 and was used to prevent the spread of the virus, leading authorities to connect the passerby to a catalytic crime cell in Barcelona run by Italian police and their leaders. [Citation: Catalan and Italian police chronology]
Among those involved were Italian citizens living in Catalonia who monitored and coordinated drug sales and money collection in Italy. Another group within the network sourced marijuana from Morocco and transported it covertly into Catalonia using trucks. A third faction received goods from sub‑Saharan Africa and used facilities in Sant Fost de Campsentelles and nearby locations to move shipments hidden among legitimate cargo destined for Italy. [Citation: Operational field notes]
Last week’s operation led to 105 arrests across Spain and Italy, with 30 of those in towns within the Barcelona metropolitan area. More than a thousand officers were mobilized, with Mossos officers traveling to Milan to close the network among its Italian associates. [Citation: Joint operation press release]
The arrests were carried out simultaneously in both countries on October 17. Suspects face charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, and membership in a criminal organization, with investigations continuing to reveal the full scope of the network’s reach. [Citation: Prosecutors’ office updates]