Police vests don’t stop drug dealers’ weapons of war

They went out for them. It was neither an accident nor a mistake. The investigation indicates that drug traffickers on the island of Isla Mayor, aware of their great power of weapons, attempted to execute agents of the Special Group for Combating Organized Crime (Greek) in the middle of rice fields. … The police had tracked them, knew their movements and did not hesitate to attack them to drive them away. Only the rice field, the dark night, and luck could save them. Three of them were injured, one seriously The bulletproof vest did not stop the projectile From the assault rifle. It hit him in the stomach. “It is possible that he slipped between the three exposed fingers above the belt so as not to restrict movement,” says an agent fighting drug trafficking in Andalusia. Bullet caliber It can also pass through the jacket.

State security forces and units face weapons of war every day without the means to confront the threat. AR-15, Skorpions, Colt M-4, Zastava M70, AK-47 and their variants, Czech Vz-58 or modified replicas such as the Stinger TAK-2 were captured in command and police posts in Andalusia. “That’s it Caliber 5.56 mmwhich does not stop jackets. “Regular soldiers are ready to carry a 9 mm pistol, but only if they are not shooting at very close range,” the sources say, explaining that when an impact is received from the calibers that the vest can withstand, it continues to generate problems that can cost one’s life.

The Spanish Police Federation (CEP) in Malaga indicates that this type of rifle and long weapon has Drilling capacity Which beats standard bulletproof vests. Therefore, the risks faced by customers working on the front line increase dramatically. For them, it is necessary that all police stations have it At least one ballistic shield per vehicleEspecially in light of the increase in military weapons discovered on the streets.

He pushed to investigate organized crime

A police officer charges 14 euros for lunch and the same amount for dinner. If you have to spend the night, the Ministry of Interior pays 48 euros per room. This is not enough for agents moving around Spain. In an organized crime investigation, it is common for surveillance to begin in Malaga and end in Alicante, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands or Valencia, if not the Canary Islands or another destination. There agents have to pay the bills for food or sleep and make sure that going after drug dealers doesn’t cost them money out of their pockets.

That’s when they get paid. Police unions and Civil Guard associations deplore that investigative agents, who pursue organized crime, are often forced to pay advances for hotels or meals during surveillance and surveillance. They put money out of their own pockets and then, in theory, are compensated when they declare it at the police station or headquarters.

“It’s not like the movies. If the bullet hits your jacket, you will not remain standing, and with the impact you will fall to the ground. It can break several ribs“For example, or creating a leak that requires sanitary intervention,” add the sources consulted by ABC in the fight against drug trafficking. This is using rifles, but with larger caliber weapons no defense is possible. Only ballistic plates can save the customer’s life in this situation.

These are ceramic plates that are placed in the jacket to reinforce it. The weight that the client carries on his person increases to about six kilograms, and this also limits his ability to move. These panels are only used by tactical teamswhich are those who enter the intervention first, such as the GEO of the National Police or the GAR of the Civil Guard.

Those groups are the ones that have it Long arms also. Neither investigative police officers nor Zetas agents have these weapons in their possession. Only tactical intervention teams have higher-caliber weapons to neutralize threats when drug traffickers shoot at them, as happened in Toledo this weekend.

There are more and more guns on the streets. Access has become easier and in the slums shooting is taking place using AK-47 rifles. A gypsy clan from Granada was sold Glock automatic pistols are priced at 6,000 euros. They are considered a weapon of war. They offered M-4 or AK-47 rifles to interested parties on their WhatsApp profiles for 9,000 euros. It was a buried arsenal supplying criminal organizations all over the Andalusian coast, from Almería to Huelva.

In their case, investigative sources explained to ABC that the clan made contacts in Marseille with marijuana and from there moved on to weapons. After their arrest, the National Police believed that the Marseille Mafia had obtained these items Ukrainian weapons from war surplus He put it into circulation with marijuana clans throughout Andalusia.

Police unions themselves explain that a large portion of these weapons come from… Balkan conflicts. They may come from weapons factories that remained after the war or from those that were not delivered or destroyed. However, they also estimate, in line with Europol, that the war in Ukraine is generating a new flow of arms into Europe for the black market. In addition, secret workshops dedicated to reactivating unused weapons have been uncovered in different regions of Andalusia. Although the complicated matter is the lack of access to weapons.

Part of the arsenal seized from a marijuana clan in Granada

ABC

The CEP was the union that brought the need for customer protection to the European Parliament. From there, A Anti-drug trafficking assessment missionwhose conclusions were reflected in a proposal for a directive to protect agents and recognize them as a risky profession. This is something that the Spanish government denies. There, attacks on customers, such as the one that occurred on Isla Mayor, are also requested to be considered a European crime.

I voted for the Socialist Workers Party Twice against Of this guidance, both the proposal and approval of amendments. Moreover, during the mission, he opposed the meeting with members of the European Parliament of the families of the Civil Guard agents who were hit by a drug boat in Barbati.

Thus, after the umpteenth episode of drug violence in Andalusia, where the body of a corporal from the Portuguese National Guard has already been collected in Guadiana due to an attack during a chase, the unions are demanding More material meansincluding ballistic armor, higher-level personal protection and adapted vehicles for risk interventions in the area.