Lorraine Williamson
Fifteen arrests, €1.4m in cash, and a haul of drugs and weapons mark one of Mallorca’s most striking anti-crime operations in years.
A joint National Police and Guardia Civil operation has dismantled a powerful criminal network operating from Mallorca, with tentacles stretching across the Mediterranean. The group is accused of large-scale drug trafficking, international smuggling, and laundering millions of euros.
The raids — conducted simultaneously across Palma, Marratxí, Binissalem, Inca, Pollença, Llucmajor, Sencelles, and Sóller — followed months of surveillance. In total, officers carried out 13 house searches and arrested 15 suspects. Among them was a startling figure: a National Police inspector who had once led an anti-drug unit in Palma.
Police under suspicion
Investigators allege the officer used his position to shield the network, even discussing ways to bribe or blackmail other police. Recorded conversations revealed plans to track investigators’ movements with GPS devices and even assault a police informant while in prison.
Smuggling through the Balearics
The organisation is believed to have used Ibiza as a strategic way station for drug shipments from North Africa. Powerful high-speed dinghies, known locally as gomas, transported hashish across the Mediterranean, transferring cargo at sea before it reached Ibiza.
From there, the drugs were stored temporarily before being moved to mainland Spain and into wider European markets.
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In September last year, police intercepted 200 kilos of hashish en route from Ibiza to Palma.
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In July this year, officers seized 675 kilos of cocaine in Valencia, believed to have followed the same route.
Millions in cash and a luxury lifestyle
The raids uncovered €1,409,000 in cash, 11.3 kilos of cocaine, a 1,000-plant marijuana farm, and a cache of weapons — including four firearms with silencers, two alarm pistols, and ammunition. Police also seized eight cars, two motorbikes, a jet ski, six high-end watches, and four works of art.
Coordinated crackdown
The operation — codenamed MANSO, PRIMO, and ENROQUE BAL — was led by the National Police and Guardia Civil with support from the Internal Affairs Department. Officials say the case highlights both the scale of the island’s organised crime problem and the effectiveness of coordinated police work.
Organised crime in the Balearics has long been a concern for Spanish authorities, with the islands’ location making them a natural hub for smuggling routes. This latest blow suggests police are prepared to go after even the most deeply embedded networks — including those with links inside their own ranks.
Source: Diario de Mallorca