The Internal Affairs Unit (UAI) of the National Police has moved to crack down on corruption within the Consumer, Environment and Doping group. A police officer linked to that unit was arrested on allegations of attempting to extort a researcher involved in an anabolic drug conspiracy. The operation, carried out with unusual secrecy by the Valencia Supreme Headquarters, occurred about a month ago, at the end of November. The outcome has been broader than a single arrest: the unit responsible for this group was dissolved, and all its members, including the chief, were reassigned to different posts within the brigade. This marks the second time in a year that a police officer from this same group has faced corruption charges.
Sources close to the investigation describe a sequence of events that led to the arrest. Several months earlier, the Consumer, Environment and Doping group reported an alleged anabolic sales scheme involving multiple business owners. It was claimed that controlled substances were being marketed by the individuals under scrutiny. One whistleblower in the case pointed to a police officer who allegedly approached the informant and offered to intervene in the matter in exchange for a payment.
How the case was exposed
The researcher refused to pay the demanded sum and instead reported the misconduct, prompting an internal affairs inquiry. It appears that investigators planned to use an undercover officer to gather evidence and reveal the alleged corruption within the department. Journalistic sources indicate that the arrest was imminent once the payment was arranged, though official confirmation of that detail has not been published.
The internal affairs unit opened its inquiry after the extortion complaint
Following the arrest, investigators interviewed other members of the Consumer, Environment and Doping group, including the person in charge of the unit. Officials concluded that no additional personnel were implicated in the incident. In a strategic move, the Valencia Supreme Police Headquarters decided to cut its losses by dissolving the group and redistributing its agents to other units within the force.
Two incidents in a 13-month span
The decision to reorganize was not based solely on the latest arrest. In October 2022, another officer from the same consumer group was arrested for alleged involvement with a drug trafficking network. This officer is said to have provided confidential police information in exchange for money and to have aided in the shipment of large quantities of contraband, including a notable 200 kilograms of cocaine through the Port of Valencia during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
The identity of that officer has been publicly discussed, and he was ultimately imprisoned after the arrest. He had been serving within the consumer group, yet the crimes he was accused of allegedly occurred long before his discovery by colleagues. Investigators say encrypted messages and internal communications helped reveal a broader pattern of drug operations. In some instances, information from law enforcement databases was misused to aid drug traffickers upon request.