19 arrests in Spanish-Swedish raid against drug traffickers

17th April 202317th April 2023 Tony Kingham

Joint actions of the Spanish National Police (Policia National) and the Swedish National Police (Polisen), supported by Europol, have led to the dismantling of a criminal network transporting drugs via trucks between Spain and Sweden. Swedish authorities initiated the investigation into the network in 2019, after establishing a link between a money laundering case and suspected members of this drug trafficking network. Some of the members of this network were located in Alicante, Spain.

The members of the criminal network purchased various legal goods and exported them to other countries in trucks. This served as a cover for concealing drugs in the transport vehicles. Swedish law enforcement authorities identified two such shipments, one consisting of 200 kilos of cannabis bound for Gothenburg, and another consisting of 300 kilos of cannabis headed for Stockholm. This led to the arrests of six members of the criminal network in Sweden in mid-February, as well as to the arrest of a seventh suspect in Spain and seizures including more than EUR 200 000 in cash, jewellery, watches and electronic equipment.

Two weeks following these arrests, authorities detected another drug shipment. A special operation targeting this shipment was soon instigated, leading to the seizure of 44 kilos of marijuana, the arrests of the drivers, and the interception of additional accomplices involved in the drug trafficking operation. The home searches related to these actions uncovered indoor cultivation of cannabis and saw the seizures of 250 marijuana plants. In total, Spanish and Swedish authorities arrested 14 (7 in Spain and 7 in Sweden) individuals for their suspected involvement in this drug trafficking network. Previously, five other suspects connected to this network were arrested in Sweden.

Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided tailor-made 24/7 tactical and analytical support. Furthermore, Europol supported the operational coordination related to this investigation.