Thirty-two individuals were detained in two major anti-drug operations that led to the breakdown of international drug trafficking networks. Cannabis was shipped to Sweden and other European destinations. In one action, authorities seized 750 kilos of cannabis and 250 plants of a variety known as Cannabis sativa, while 1,490 cannabis plants were found in the other case. Arrests and searches took place across multiple locations including Benidorm, El Albir, La Nucía, Almoradí, Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Alicante, Castellón, as well as in France and Sweden.
One of the operations was a joint effort between the National Police, the Swedish Police, and Europol, resulting in 19 arrests across the involved countries.
The trafficking network, of Swedish origin, specialized in moving drugs by road between Spain and Sweden. The operation involved a truck that transported the cargo, and authorities found 44 kilograms of hashish hidden among legitimate goods stored in a warehouse in La Nucía.
Police say the investigation began with a money-laundering probe conducted in Sweden between 2019 and 2020. The inquiry helped identify those responsible for one of the networks that ferried narcotics from Spain to Sweden, with several suspects establishing themselves in Alicante’s Marina Baixa and Vega Baja regions.
From that point, European investigative orders were issued by the National Court, and in September of the prior year the case began in Spain and is being pursued in Sweden as well.
The suspects initially acquired goods in Spain that were then exported by road under documents that concealed the true nature of the cargo, enabling the illicit shipments to proceed as legitimate commerce.
Authorities identified three hubs with these characteristics. In Gothenburg, 250 kilos of cannabis were detected; in Stockholm, 300 kilos; and in Bordeaux, 162 kilos of marijuana were intercepted.
In February of this year, four members of the organization were arrested in Sweden as sufficient evidence against the principal organizers was gathered. Another person was detained in Spain under a European arrest warrant issued by Sweden.
A few weeks later, a separate shipment carried out by a Lithuanian carrier network tied to the same organization was investigated. Surveillance and tracking measures led to stops of drivers, particularly in the Alicante province. The cargo was moved from La Nucía and later returned to the truck at a separate location.
Investigators suspected a new narcotics shipment was being prepared in La Nucía for distribution to other European nations, so the truck was followed to Castellón de la Plana, where, upon inspection, 44 pounds of marijuana were found and the drivers were arrested.
The following day, a broader search of the operation uncovered an indoor cannabis grow operation at a residence. Police seized 250 cannabis plants and eight pounds of pre-harvest marijuana buds. The case remains open as other networks involved in this transport scheme are still being explored by investigators.
Agents from the Anti-Drugs and Organized Crime Branch, Group 1 (UDYCO), dismantled a criminal organization involved in cultivating cannabis in Benidorm, El Albir, La Nucía and Almoradí, with the drugs later distributed across Europe.
The operation culminated in the dissolution of the organization, with 13 people arrested. All detainees were Albanian nationals except for one Spanish woman and 13 women among the group. Most of those detained were represented by the same law firm, and several were ordered to appear in court in Benidorm, with three principal suspects remanded in custody. The investigation drew on information about possible illegal electrical connections linked to cannabis cultivation, supplied by a utility company cooperating with state security services to identify fraud in electricity distribution [citation: State Security Forces and Agency].
Authorities traced 13 alleged members of the organization and uncovered cannabis cultivation in various properties including residential and industrial facilities in Benidorm, La Nucía, El Albir and Almoradí. The early phases involved multiple house and facility searches, resulting in the arrest of 13 individuals and the seizure of several properties and sites under inspection.
Among the seized items were a high-value motorcycle, 1,490 mature cannabis plants, 350 grams of cannabis buds, 7,000 euros in cash, three vehicles used for drug transport, and a large array of equipment for cultivating and processing cannabis. The investigation continues as authorities pursue remaining links in these networks [citation: National Police statements].