The Guardia Civil detains one of the most wanted drug traffickers internationally in Barcelona

The Guardia Civil, acting out their Operation MVRAND, has dismantled one of the most important criminal organisations in relation to the introduction of narcotics in Europe, as well as money laundering.

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A total of 17 people have been arrested, 11 of them of Spanish nationality and 6 Moroccan, in the 16 searches that have been carried out in the provinces of Barcelona, ​​Pontevedra and Cádiz.

Among the detainees is the leader of this organisation and the main objective of the operation, FAA, a Moroccan citizen who is considered directly responsible in our country for the introduction of 4,300 kilograms of hashish in San Pedro del Pinatar (Murcia) and 1,800 kilograms of cocaine on the Galician coasts, both in 2021, appearing as a target of interest also for the main international anti-drug trafficking agencies.

In addition, he is considered responsible for the introduction of 1,004 kilograms of cocaine on the El Jadida coast of Morocco in December 2018, for which two of the detainees in this operation had an International Detention Order in force.

Supplier of “Los Castaña” and “Messi”

The investigation began in early 2020 by the Central Anti-Drug Group of the Central Operational Unit, considering FAA as the main supplier of hashish from Morocco to the peninsula, supplying drugs to the main Spanish hashish trafficking clans.

Similarly, through the communication channels with Europol, the Guardia Civil was alerted that several international investigations that were being carried out with encrypted telephony servers pointed to the FAA as a high-value target in international cocaine trafficking .

African cocaine route

Taking advantage of his extensive experience in trafficking hashish from Morocco to the peninsula, where he had a large network of rubber-type boats and an enormous logistics distribution network, he began to traffic cocaine using the classic methods established for the introduction of hashish.

In this way, the FAA ended up taking over the logistics of transporting cocaine to Spain from Africa and through transfers on the high seas, also using “nursery” type warehouses located in Morocco and thus consolidating the rise of the African Route of cocaine trafficking, increasingly used by different criminal organisations.

After almost two years of investigation, in which means and personnel from the different and more sophisticated units of the Guardia Civil have been deployed, the investigators have managed to obtain sufficient evidence to dismantle this family clan, which was based in Barcelona leading a life and routines of the simplest, nothing to do with the ostentation they showed on their vacations and luxury trips outside their area of ​​residence, such as with very high-level yacht, hotel and vehicle rentals, or even with the use of watches from some of the most exclusive brands with personalized limited series of up to 800,000 euro.

Five mobile phones on at the same time

At the time of his arrest, the FAA was caught in his living room with five mobile phone devices connected and two notebooks, coordinating different operations at sea.

Another of the detainees, upon noticing the police presence, escaped through the façade of a building in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Poble Sec, deploying an extensive device by the Guardia Civil, including with aerial support, until the escapee was arrested.

Inhibitors, detonating pistols, satellite phones, various encrypted communication devices, as well as various establishments through which the proceeds of criminal activity were laundered have also been intervened, having blocked accounts, real estate and various assets abroad.

The operation has been carried out by the Central Anti-drug Group of the Central Operative Unit of the Guardia Civil and the Delegate Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office of Campo de Gibraltar, coordinated by the Mixed Court number 2 of San Roque (Cádiz), which has ordered the detainees to prison, except for three who have already been released in Barcelona at the disposal of the aforementioned Court.