In Seville, the jury in the trial of a lieutenant of the Civil Guard found him guilty of accepting money linked to drug trafficking in exchange for police information, and of plotting to steal 100,000 euros hidden in a car stored at the Guardia Civil command, as well as attempting to steal 29 bales of hashish kept at the same facility, with the aim of trafficking them.
The unanimous verdict was delivered by the jury after reviewing the case in Seville’s court. During the closing phase, prosecutors had reduced their demand by two years and three months, moving from 14 years and four months to 12 years and one month, seeking imprisonment for the officer, Raúl P.M., who was tried alongside two alleged accomplices, also found guilty.
The prosecutor initially requested for Lieutenant Raúl P.M. eight years of imprisonment and 14 years of special disqualification from public employment, for a continued offense of bribery. In addition, the request included four more years of imprisonment and a three-million-euro fine for drug trafficking, two additional years for theft, four months imprisonment for attempted theft, and three years of special disqualification for revealing secrets.
However, as the case progressed to final submissions, the prosecution revised its position. It argued that the drug trafficking and theft offenses, linked to the operation allegedly organized by the officer to steal the 29 hashish bales from the Montequinto command warehouse, should be regarded as attempts rather than completed crimes, given that the operation was thwarted by the arrest of the three defendants and the seizure of the drugs.
“Always under police oversight,” the prosecutor asserted, noting that Internal Affairs monitored the operation at all times and followed the suspects. The drugs recovered when the robbery attempt was halted were described as having been kept under police supervision and were seized once the two alleged collaborators tried to leave Montequinto Command in a van carrying the 29 hashish bales.
As a consequence of downgrading the drug trafficking and theft charges from completed to attempted offenses, the prosecutor reduced the requested sentence for Raúl P.M. from four years to three for the drug offense, and from two years to nine months for the alleged theft, resulting in an overall guideline of 12 years and one month in prison for the officer.
The defense for Raúl P.M. argued for acquittal, contending that the officer might be a “scapegoat” and urging that the implicated acts were provoked rather than truly committed.
Throughout the proceedings, the narrative centered on how the operation intersected with the drug trade, the alleged betrayal of trust within the security service, and the implications for the integrity of the force. The case raised questions about how information is leveraged, the risks of corruption, and the mechanisms in place to detect and deter illicit collaboration between law enforcement personnel and criminal enterprises.
Ultimately, the verdict reflected a determination that the officer’s alleged actions warranted criminal accountability, while also illustrating the judiciary’s approach to calibrating charges in light of evidentiary developments during a criminal investigation.
Observers noted that the events highlighted the constant tension between internal discipline and the vigilance required to preserve public confidence in law enforcement institutions. The resolution of this case may influence ongoing debates over supervision, transparency, and the safeguarding of sensitive information within security services.
The proceedings underscored the necessity for rigorous oversight measures and reinforced the principle that violations of trust within policing bodies carry severe consequences, regardless of rank or association with colleagues who may also be implicated in related offenses.