In a joint operation in Reus (Tarragona), the National Police and the Spanish Customs Guard of the Tax Authorities seized 16 tons of pellets infused with cocaine.
In addition, a center for processing synthetic drugs was dismantled and five people were arrested. The detainees come from Albania, the Netherlands and Lithuania. They were involved in large-scale drug trafficking via sea containers loaded with pellets from countries in the Americas.
Two industrial warehouses in Reus
The criminal organization had two independent industrial warehouses in Reus. One of them was for storing and ‘cooling’ the narcotic substance – for at least three months. The other for packaging, sealing and storing the drugs after it was removed from the camouflaged material in the containers.
More than 5 kilos of synthetic drugs (speed and MDMA) were also seized during the police operation. Officers found almost 4,000 euros in cash, two hydraulic presses and equipment for drug production, a truck and a luxury vehicle. These goods have been seized.
Research started last year
The investigation began last year when the police became aware of a criminal organization based in Spain that was suspected of being involved in large-scale drug trafficking. The members of the organization smuggled the drugs through Spanish ports using sea containers. In doing so, they simulated international trade operations to create the appearance of legality. They used very sophisticated concealment methods. They camouflaged or impregnated the drugs in various materials to make detection difficult.
Movement in the investigated warehouse leads to action
In the middle of last year, the police detected the arrival of a suspicious shipment of pellets. These were then transported and stored in a warehouse on an industrial site in Reus. In the following months, the officers maintained a permanent surveillance of this facility. At the end of 2023, the police noticed an unusual movement in the warehouse under investigation. A truck arrived to load the pellets and that led to the police action.
During the operation, officers seized a total of 920 bags of cocaine-infused pellets. Each weighed 18 kilos, for a total of 16,560 kilograms. At the same time, the National Police searched two homes belonging to the main suspects. One house was in Tarragona and one in Marbella (Málaga).
