Mossos d’Esquadra and the Barcelona City Police coordinated actions that led to the seizure of cocaine, heroin and marijuana within the city. A pharmacy located in the Raval district became the focus of the operation, marking a significant development in the ongoing efforts to curb illegal drug trafficking in urban neighborhoods where access to pharmaceuticals can sometimes intersect with illicit activity. The operation also spotlighted the complex web of organized crime that can intersect with everyday commerce in metropolitan areas.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, Miguel Ricart, known for his notoriety in connection with the Alcàsser case, remained in custody at the Mossos outpost in Les Corts, Barcelona. He is expected to appear in court in the near future to respond to allegations related to crimes against public health, alongside another detainee who was taken into custody during the same operation. The detention signals a renewed concern about the misuse of medical supply channels in narcotics distribution schemes and the need for robust judicial review to address public health risks posed by such networks.
Police presence extended to the narcotics office on Aurora street in the Raval neighborhood, where investigators gathered tools and materials associated with drug manipulation as part of the case. The broader reconnaissance by the law enforcement teams encompassed multiple locations and highlighted the depth of the operation, which was carried out with care to avoid compromising ongoing inquiries and to ensure that all linked activities were thoroughly examined for potential accomplices or ancillary roles in the scheme.
Following the culmination of yesterday’s police actions, authorities briefly returned control of the premises to the property owners, underscoring the procedural steps taken to secure the scene while continuing the investigation. The primary aim of the intervention—identified as the capture of the person responsible for the pharmacy operation—led to the arrest of a 53-year-old individual who has a long and controversial history with the judicial system.
Ricart’s prior conviction in 1997 for involvement in the Alcàsser murders is a defining element of his public profile. The case involved the torture, rape and murder of three youths in the municipality where the victims were from, a crime that has left a lasting mark on regional memory and legal discourse about violence and accountability. While this week’s events are framed within a different context, the historical context remains important for understanding the public and legal sensitivities tied to Ricart’s presence in the city’s security landscape.
Investigators indicated that the narcotics unit, in collaboration with the City Guard and the Ciutat Vella regional unit of the Barcelona local police, had been pursuing leads for several months prior to the recent developments. The complex, multiagency approach reflects a sustained effort to dismantle networks that exploit licensed facilities and regulatory gaps for illicit purposes. The case underscores how coordinated, cross-agency investigations can uncover patterns of drug distribution that extend into seemingly legitimate commerce and urban life.
Ricart’s legal journey includes a lengthy sentence that totaled 170 years, though his incarceration was suspended in 2013 after a judicial revision connected to the Parot doctrine, which affected the timing and manner of some clemency considerations. He was released from Herrera de la Mancha Prison in Ciudad Real, after his total term had been revised to a fraction of the original sentence. This background is part of the broader national conversation about how historical legal doctrines intersect with contemporary criminal cases and rehabilitation trajectories, particularly for individuals with high-profile offenses.
The arrest occurs within a larger frame of ongoing inquiries into the Alcàsser affair, including broader investigative pieces led by different courts that have pursued the remains and the circumstances surrounding the historic case. A separate judicial body, Education Court No. 6 of Alzira, has continued to oversee aspects of the case connected to long-standing questions about how evidence is managed and how posthumous testing and analysis contribute to the pursuit of accountability where remains are concerned. The evolving nature of these inquiries illustrates the persistence of a long and painful national narrative surrounding the case and the deep public interest in how justice is pursued over time.
Advocacy groups focused on crime prevention, including those that monitor cases with significant social impact, have urged the courts to maintain momentum and to ensure that procedural steps keep pace with investigative advances. The call for procedural vigor reflects a broader public desire to see credible, timely movements in cases that continue to resonate with communities affected by violence and loss. In this moment, the focus remains on upholding integrity in the judicial process while pursuing truth through diligent law enforcement action.
Ricart has thus remained the central figure charged in connection with the latest phase of the case, even as others connected to the broader narrative of the Alcàsser murders remain sought after by authorities. The bodies of Toni, Miriam and Desireé were discovered in early 1993 in a remote, elevated area near Tous, Valencia, half-buried and yielding enduring questions about how such crimes were planned and executed, and about how justice has unfolded across decades. The combined weight of these circumstances keeps the Alcàsser case in the public eye as a defining episode in Spain’s judicial and cultural memory.Note: This article summarizes ongoing judicial and police activity and does not present new legal conclusions. Attribution follows reporting from law enforcement and regional courts as the situation develops.