Lorraine Williamson
Spanish police have seized more than 1,500kg of cocaine during a major operation in the Galician coastal town of A Pobra do Caramiñal. Four people have been arrested as investigators continue an operation centred on buildings close to a direct access point to the sea.
The operation began in the early hours of Saturday and continued throughout the day in A Pobra do Caramiñal, in A Coruña province.
Officers concentrated their searches around buildings in A Ribeiriña, near O Conchido beach and the municipal boundary with Boiro. The location includes a ramp providing direct access to the sea.
The Policía Nacional’s Grupos de Respuesta Especial contra el Crimen Organizado, known as GRECO, led the operation; these specialist units tackle organised crime. Other police units, including officers from the central narcotics brigade, were also involved.
By Saturday evening, police had recovered more than 1.5 tonnes of cocaine and arrested four people. The investigation remained open, meaning the final quantities and number of arrests could still change.
Searches close to the Galician coast
Police and judicial officials spent much of Saturday searching the area where the drugs were discovered.
The operation centred on properties close to the coast, with officers removing the seized cocaine from a building near the access ramp.
The investigation has been linked by sources consulted by Europa Press to the Os Fanchos clan. Police have not yet released a detailed official account of the investigation, however, and the operation remains open.
The seizure comes amid a series of major anti-narcotics operations along the Galician coast.
Earlier in August, another operation in Muxía, also in A Coruña province, resulted in the seizure of more than 1,600kg of cocaine after the drugs were intercepted while being unloaded at Arnela beach.
That investigation led to 26 arrests, with 23 people subsequently remanded in custody. One of those arrested was a Guardia Civil officer. The operation involved the Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional and the Agencia Tributaria’s Customs Surveillance Service.
Galicia remains a key trafficking route
Galicia’s long Atlantic coastline and numerous rías have made the region an important entry point for drugs arriving in Europe for decades.
International trafficking organisations have changed considerably since the notorious Galician smuggling networks of the 1980s and 1990s. Today’s investigations frequently involve multinational criminal groups, maritime supply chains and sophisticated logistics extending far beyond Spain.
The scale of the latest seizure is nevertheless significant. More than three tonnes of cocaine have now been recovered in the two major A Coruña operations reported during August alone.
Further information is expected once investigators are able to release a final balance of the A Pobra do Caramiñal operation. Until then, the confirmed position is four arrests and more than 1,500kg of cocaine seized.