A criminal organization was dismantled while they were “unloading” more than a ton of cocaine

The Spanish Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the National Police, has dismantled a criminal organisation when they were “unloading” 1,100 kilos of cocaine in the Pontevedra municipality of Vilanova de Arousa. Seven people have been arrested and the 12-metre long, 1,350-hp vessel, a gun, two vehicles and communication equipment have been seized.

The investigation began in November 2024 when agents detected possible illicit activity being carried out by a criminal organisation based in Salnés, dedicated to drug trafficking.

The development of the investigation, directed by the Third Court of Instruction of Vilagarcía de Arousa and the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office of Pontevedra, allowed the agents not only to discover the criminal intentions of the members of the organisation, but also to identify the means of transport they intended to use to bring a large batch of cocaine to our country.

Throughout the last months of 2024, the investigations focused on the control of both the means of transport and the people who were to be part of the crew. In addition, investigations were also carried out on the people who, located at a higher level of the pyramid in which the investigated organization is formed, directed the strategy with the suppliers to load the narcotic.

A 1350 horsepower boat

Investigations revealed that at the end of December a high-speed vessel, equipped with three 450 hp engines each, set out into the Atlantic with four people on board, bound for a geographic point established to obtain the illicit cargo.

Finally, during the early hours of today, once the boat was located, a team from the National Police GEO boarded it at the exact moment when it was being unloaded in Rego do Alcalde in Vilanova de Arousa (Pontevedra). At the same time, the investigative units of both bodies, in a land operation, secured the area for the arrest of all the people who were prepared to load and transport the narcotic in the vehicles they had prepared.

Seven people were arrested in the operation and more than a ton of cocaine, a 9mm Parabellum pistol, two vehicles, communication equipment used to coordinate the shipment, and a high-speed boat were seized. 

The investigation, which is still ongoing and new arrests are not ruled out, has had the collaboration of the American DEA, the Portuguese Judicial Police and French Customs.