Spanish National Police, in a joint operation with Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Romanian Police coordinated by EUROPOL, have apprehended the current leader of the MC Comanches motorcycle gang in the town of Benalmádena, located in the province of Malaga, Spain.
The arrested individual, considered by Europol as a high-value target, was subject to a European Arrest Warrant issued by Romanian authorities for attempted homicide and was previously known as the leader of the Hell Angels gang.
The investigation began while agents were probing the involvement of the MC Comanches motorcycle gang in the transportation of narcotics by road from Spain to central and northern Europe.
MC Comanches
Late last year, during the investigation, authorities in Marbella arrested one of the MC Comanches leaders. He was wanted by German authorities under a European Arrest Warrant for his alleged direct involvement in drug trafficking between Spain and northern Europe. Subsequent investigations revealed that once this individual was arrested and extradited to Germany, he left the management of illicit businesses to the motorcycle gang’s leader.
Upon identifying the new head of the criminal structure, it was discovered that the leader of the MC Comanches was wanted by Romanian authorities for attempted homicide.
EUROPOL
Through collaboration between Spanish, German, and Romanian authorities – coordinated by EUROPOL – investigators learned that the fugitive was possibly residing in the province of Malaga. Subsequently, authorities located the suspect’s residence in Benalmádena (Malaga). According to investigators, he allegedly coordinated the transportation and distribution of narcotics to central and northern Europe using vans.
Due to the dangerous nature of the suspect, the arrest required the intervention of Special Security Operational Groups. Two searches were carried out, one at his residence and another at a recently established company dedicated to vehicle rental. During the searches, a handgun, 32 cartridges, an axe, a machete, several mobile phones, computer equipment, and various false documents in the name of a third party, which were used by the suspect, were seized.
In addition to the arrest under the European Arrest Warrant, the suspect was detained for alleged offenses of illegal possession of weapons and forgery of documents.
European Union funding
Spanish National Police, together with their counterparts in Germany and Romania, conducted this operation with the support of European Union funding. This strategy focuses on four key points:
- establishing a future-ready security environment
- combating emerging threats
- protecting European citizens from terrorism and organised crime
- forging a robust European security ecosystem
To achieve these objectives, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission (DG HOME), along with EU agencies and specific EU funds such as the Internal Security Fund (ISF), support Member States in the fight against criminal threats through coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and their business models. The interventions carried out under this scheme have been co-financed by the European Union as part of its support to Member States in combating criminal networks that pose significant threats to the security of EU citizens and the Union as a whole.