NewsSmuggling

Spanish National Police dismantles one of the largest criminal networks dedicated to illicit arms trafficking

In the operation, carried out in 15 Spanish provinces, 21 people dedicated to the illegal sale and purchase of firearms and essential parts for their reactivation, sale and modification have been arrested.

One of the arrested had an arsenal that had a C90 grenade launcher, two anti-tank mines, explosive material, aluminum powder, gunpowder, three detonators and numerous firearms, four of them being illegal weapons.

In addition, the agents have intervened a total of 731 firearms, with 123 illegal weapons –some classified as weapons of war-, explosive substances – such as pentrites-, two detonators, two hand grenades, thousands of essential parts, more than 55,000 cartridges and stolen documentation to be used illegally

Seven workshops for the modification and rehabilitation of firearms have been dismantled, whose main destination is usually their commercialization in the illicit market

Priority for the EUROPOL Agency

The use of firearms by organized crime and terrorist organizations on European soil has made the prevention and fight against illicit trafficking in firearms a priority within the Security Strategy of the European Union. Identified as such, arms trafficking is one of the priorities for the EUROPOL Agency.

At the national level, the National Strategies against Organized Crime, Serious Crime and the National Strategy against Terrorism include among its Core Axes the fight against criminal markets and serious criminal forms, including illicit arms trafficking.

Image courtesy: Spanish National Police