The Third Section of the Zaragoza Provincial Court opened the hearings today and will run through Friday against a drug trafficking gang accused of exploiting an elderly woman in her eighties who lived in Zaragoza to move narcotics across European routes. The investigation, led by the Drug Trafficking Group within the Aragon Police Headquarters, culminated in August 2023 with the arrest of sixteen people and seizures totaling 30 kilograms of cocaine, 21 kilograms of hashish, and 51,000 euros in cash. Prosecutors, with the support of defense teams including José Cabrejas and Elena Carnicer, among others, are seeking a combined sentence of 134 years in prison on charges of drug trafficking and belonging to an organized crime group. (Police statement, August 2023)
During the presentation of the so-called Operation Bailén, police described how one detainee used his 82-year-old mother to complete drug transports at national and international levels, thereby evading roadside checks. They spoke of marathon shifts, totaling around 2,000 kilometers in a single 24-hour period, with the vehicle loaded with cocaine and hashish and no visible attempt to conceal the load beyond a concealment behind a diaper depot. The octogenarian’s frail health was evident, as she traveled in a wheelchair and required an oxygen device to breathe. (Police report, August 2023)
The investigation began last February when the Minor Trafficking Drug Group started monitoring a Zaragoza neighbor who dealt in drugs. It soon became clear that he moved hashish and other drugs to several European destinations, and on returning carried amphetamine derivatives that he distributed upon reaching Spain, notably in Tudela. (Police report, August 2023)
All the threads converged in Logroño, where one suspect connected with two men who were identified as the head and the deputy of a prominent La Rioja drug trafficking organization. The evolving picture shows a well-connected network that used vulnerable individuals to extend its reach across cities and borders. (Police report, August 2023)