20 people were arrested with nearly two tons of cocaine

20 people have been arrested allegedly involved in the introduction of large shipments of cocaine and methamphetamine from South America for later distribution in Spain and other European countries. The process was directed by the Central Court Instruction No. 2 of National Court and Special Drug Prosecutor’s Office. 15 of the detainees were imprisoned.

The investigation began in the same year, when it was confirmed that cocaine had been brought into Spain hidden in large-tonnage industrial machines, taking advantage of the business network of one of the main Spanish targets in the service of the cartel.

Once they arrived on national territory, they were stored in farms located in the mountains of Madrid and Avila, areas that provide privacy and security for keeping drugs.

Those arrested include some of the DEA’s priority targets for years, as well as members of the Italian Camorra who have dedicated their efforts to international drug distribution.

In total, the intervention took place 1,870 kilograms of cocaine, 375 kilograms of amphetamine, €275,000 in cash, $15,000 worth of cryptocurrencies, 3 short firearms, 15 vehicles and 14 kilos of silver.

The organization had reactivated its operational structure after the arrival of a shipment of drugs hidden in large industrial machines. To handle this new batch to be distributed, the cartel has brought new members into the organization who were explicitly sent from Mexico.

Although they specialize in this subject in their country of origin, research sources highlight this for EL ESPAÑOL. The Jalisco cartel was not manufacturing fentanyl in SpainAnd I didn’t intend to do that. This drug, a highly addictive substance that is devastating the United States, is one of its main businesses. However, CJNG activities on the peninsula and in Europe were limited to cocaine and synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine.

Avila, Bilbao and Valencia

The national distribution was coordinated from a farm near La Adrada (Avila) with branches in Bilbao and Valencia, using vehicles Hot With hidden compartments for transporting drugs.

For international transportation, it was the organization Other farms in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) The industrial machines were received with the hidden narcotic substance and sent to Italy. Last September, the first shipment of cocaine to the trans-Alpine country was revealed through a Camorra leader in Naples belonging to the Amato Pagano clan.

He was the person responsible for providing support in Spain for the entire structure of product introduction, warehousing and distribution Spanish businessman responsible for the network’s logistics services, Through several commercial companies owned by him. In this way, in addition to providing logistics services, it allowed the economic gains obtained to be introduced into the legal flow.

The investigation was conducted in two stages. The first was directed towards arrests in the heart of operations and the second against the main distribution points in the provinces of Valencia and the Basque Country. At the time of the exploitation, and in coordination with the Dutch authorities, a drug shipment coming from Costa Rica hidden in the industrial machinery of a sea container was intercepted.

The Jalisco Cartel is one of the most powerful and feared organizations in Mexico. They are known as “transnational criminal organizations” because they are not limited to drug manufacturers and traffickers; They are organized criminal groups involved in arms smuggling, money laundering, migrant smuggling, human trafficking for sexual exploitation, bribery, extortion and an endless list of crimes.

CJNG has a global reach extending to strategic shipping regions and lucrative pharmaceutical markets in Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Various documents from the main elite anti-drug trafficking groups have warned that this criminal organization has settled in Spain. Specifically, in May 2024, the DEA A federal agency charged with combating drug trafficking inside and outside the United States, revealed in its annual report “National Drug Threat Assessment 2024″ That andThe Jalisco Nueva Generation Cartel established distribution centers in Spain at the beginning of 2023.

This was part of its plan to expand into European pharmaceutical markets. The report stressed that “its rapid expansion indicates the increasing criminal influence of the Jalisco New Generation gang around the world, and the profits obtained from these lucrative markets provide the necessary capital for further expansion.”