21 people arrested in Madrid for illegal trafficking of weapons and ammunition
The Civil Guard, as part of Operation Trampantojo , has arrested 21 people in Madrid for illegal arms and ammunition trafficking. The operation also resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of ammunition, several firearms, drugs, cash, and other items related to the criminal activity under investigation.
The investigation began after a complaint was filed by one of the members of the organization regarding the alleged theft of 17 firearms from a home in Valle del Alagón (Cáceres).
The investigation concluded that the complainant was part of a criminal organization dedicated to diverting firearms from the legal market to the illegal market, by filing false reports of theft or loss of the same.
Once reported stolen, the weapons were sold on the black market for three times the price at which they could be purchased at an authorized establishment by people with a gun license.
Simultaneously, it was discovered that this organization was also involved in ammunition trafficking, for which they had the complicity of those responsible for an armory who delivered the ammunition after falsifying the sales and control records.
During the operation, six searches were carried out : four at residences located in Cañada Real Galiana (Madrid); one at a gun shop in Madrid; and another at a residence located in the Alagón Valley (Cáceres). The following items were seized during the searches:
- A state-of-the-art pistol, which one of the suspects tried to get rid of during one of the searches.
- Pistol magazines.
- More than 8,000 cartridges of various calibers for handguns.
- A semi-automatic shotgun
- 320 grams of cocaine.
- 160 grams of heroin.
- Approximately 32,000 euros in cash
- Various electronic devices, such as computers and mobile phones.
This operation is part of the Comprehensive Plan for the Control of Firearms (PICAF) of the Civil Guard, which at the national level has exclusive competence over the control of weapons and explosives.
The investigations have been carried out under the direction of the Civil and Instruction Section of the Court of First Instance Plaza Nº 2 of the town of Coria (Cáceres), in coordination with the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of Cáceres.
The operation has been carried out jointly by different investigation units of the Civil Guard, with the final phase involving the deployment of nearly 200 agents to carry out the searches and arrests.
