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International criminal organisation dedicated to illegal trafficking of urban waste from Italy dismantled

The Spanish Civil Guard, within the framework of Operation “Rifiuti”, has arrested and investigated 15 individuals and seven legal entities belonging to an international criminal organisation dedicated to the illicit trafficking of urban waste. Tons of all types of urban waste, including hazardous and toxic waste, were dumped daily in an uncontrolled manner in towns in Tarragona and Cuenca from Italy.The people under investigation had received more than 19 million euros since 2021 from Italian waste treatment companies, which allegedly hired their services to dispose of waste. These people are accused of various crimes of belonging to a criminal organisation, against natural resources and the environment and falsification of documents.

High amounts of waste from Italy

Investigations began after detecting the entry of waste into Spain whose documentation could be falsified and which would be destined for landfills without having been previously treated. Initial investigations led to the identification of a number of interrelated companies based in Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha that were trading in Italian waste on a large scale.

It was found that dozens of trucks entered the waste management facilities controlled by the organisation but that, instead of subjecting the load to recovery processes, it was redirected directly to landfills. These quantities of urban waste of Italian origin dumped illegally in Spanish landfills would have exceeded 40,000 tonnes per year since 2021. 

Lowest prices in Spain for waste management

Although Italian companies were contracted to manage urban waste, they transferred its disposal to Spain to save costs, which would have generated millions in revenue at the expense of the Italian treasury. It is estimated that the criminal organisation would have earned more than 19 million euros in the last four years.These practices contravene environmental legislation and control systems, the spirit of which is based on the principle of proximity and on each country being responsible for its own waste. Spain cannot allow the entry of this type of waste for disposal in landfills, and it is the responsibility of the Italian authorities to manage and dispose of waste generated in urban areas. The procedure therefore consisted of establishing a series of companies between the Italian producer and the Spanish landfill, which simulated different treatments and operations that had never been carried out, so that, at least on a documentary level, it would appear that everything was being done in accordance with current legislation. This also ensured that the Spanish control authority, the Catalan Waste Agency, would issue the required authorisations, avoiding any kind of opposition.The result is that tons of urban waste of all kinds from Italy, including hazardous and toxic waste, are being dumped daily in landfills in the provinces of Tarragona and Cuenca, which can cause damage to ecosystems and the health of neighbouring populations.Five raids and searches have been carried out at the headquarters of legal entities in Lleida, Constantí and Riba Roja D´Ebre, in Tarragona, and Almonacid del Marquesado, in Cuenca, where various computer equipment has been seized and samples of the transported waste have been taken, which will help to continue to clarify the illegal activities.The judicial authority has ordered the freezing of the properties and bank accounts belonging to the suspects that are part of the assets obtained through the illegal activity, with a view to future restitution of the damage caused.

One of the priorities of the European Union

In May 2021, the Council of the European Union adopted the priorities for combating serious and organised crime for the 2022-2025 cycle (EMPACT). Ten priorities were adopted, including environmental crime. The objective was to dismantle criminal networks involved in all forms of environmental crime, focusing in particular on trafficking in waste and wildlife, as well as criminal networks and entrepreneurs with the ability to infiltrate high-level legal business structures or to create their own companies in order to facilitate their crimes.This type of crime is growing at a rate of between 5% and 7% annually, making it the fourth most important criminal activity in the world, after drug trafficking, human trafficking and counterfeiting.

The operation was directed by the Court of Instruction No. 4 of Tarragona and developed by the Central Environmental Operations Unit (UCOMA) of the Headquarters of the Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) of the Civil Guard and also had the support of Europol. Civil Guard units from Lleida, Tarragona and Cuenca also participated.