• The investigation by the Customs Surveillance Service in Galicia has allowed the accreditation of around twenty trips with hidden vehicles to different points of the Peninsula

• The main suspect, who had been missing for more than a month, was imprisoned, as was the driver of a vehicle carrying 50 kilos of cocaine.

• Trailers, fuel canisters, and even a large tractor for transporting boats were seized during the searches, as well as cash, electronic equipment and documentation.

July 16, 2024.- The Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency in Galicia has deactivated an organization based in Vilanova de Arousa dedicated to the distribution of cocaine to various points in Spain and Portugal using vehicles with hidden bottoms. As part of the operation, called 'Patinete', the main suspect, who had been missing for over a month, and the driver of a vehicle carrying 50 kilos of cocaine have been arrested and are in provisional prison.

The investigation began more than a year ago when the Customs Surveillance Service in Vigo detected that the main suspect, already known for his links to drug trafficking by sea, was continually travelling to various points on the Iberian Peninsula, which led investigators to suspect that he could once again be linked to the distribution of narcotic substances that reach our coasts by sea.

During this time, Customs Surveillance investigators were able to determine that the cocaine distribution operation was carried out using two vehicles, one that acted as a 'shuttle' vehicle and another as a cargo vehicle.

If the occupants of the shuttle vehicle detected police checkpoints, or that they could be followed, they would notify the vehicle carrying the load so that it would deviate from the route and pick it up at another point, thus avoiding police control.

In addition, members of the organization easily changed the vehicle in which they traveled and also changed mobile phones, in addition to using encrypted applications, in order to hinder any investigation or monitoring work.

As a result of the investigation, it has been possible to establish that the criminal organisation had made around twenty trips of this nature to various points in Spain, such as Asturias, Andalusia and Galicia, as well as to Portugal.

Operation on the AP-9

Following extensive field work, SVA investigators launched an operation at the beginning of June that allowed them to intercept a vehicle belonging to the organisation on the AP-9 motorway in the province of Pontevedra, which was carrying more than 50 kilos of cocaine hidden in two false bottoms.

The vehicle had a sophisticated concealment system under the two front seats, which were raised entirely with part of the vehicle's body. To discover the caches, it was necessary to use the Vigo Customs container scanner.

At that time, the driver of the vehicle transporting the narcotic substance was arrested, while the main suspect fled on a motorcycle at the time he was to be arrested by investigators and remained missing for more than a month until he appeared in court. Both are already in provisional prison for alleged crimes of drug trafficking and criminal organization.

Added to the above is a third person, who is being investigated but not arrested, in the Lebrija area, who is accused of a crime of smuggling prohibited goods, as defined in Royal Decree 16/2018.

Entries and records

In addition to the operation on the AP-9, five raids and searches were carried out in homes and warehouses, three in the area of Vilanova de Arousa (Pontevedra) and two in the towns of Lebrija and El Cuervo (Seville). One of the warehouses in Vilanova had strong security anchors, so in order to access it, during the early hours of Tuesday 4 June, the collaboration of the Vilagarcía de Arousa Fire Brigade was necessary.

In addition to the narcotic substance, among the items seized and made available to the court are two trailers, thirty canisters of fuel, and even a large tractor of the type normally used to transport boats, as well as electronic equipment, cash and various documents.

The detection of the tractor, the trailers and the fuel containers lead investigators to believe that at least part of the organisation was also involved in the rescue of narcotics introduced by sea in both Galicia and Andalusia.

The investigations, carried out by the Vigo Customs Surveillance Operational Unit, with the collaboration of the Seville Operational Unit for the searches, remain open and are mainly focused on an analysis of the seized documentation, so new arrests are not ruled out.