Drug Trafficking Ring Disguised as Cardboard Recycling Company Dismantled

The operation led to the arrest of 31 individuals and the seizure of 136 kilograms of cocaine, along with eleven kilograms of hashish, three kilograms of marijuana, €231,530 in cash, five handguns, scales and presses for drug manipulation, as well as computer equipment and mobile phones.

The operation commenced in August 2024 in Valdepeñas (Ciudad Real) following a tip-off about a criminal organisation based in Madrid that was supplying cocaine to small-time dealers in Ciudad Real province. Investigators focused on monitoring known cocaine users in the province to trace the initial tiers of the drug distributors.

Investigations led to a rented warehouse operating under the guise of a cardboard manufacturing and recycling business in an industrial area of Madrid, where drugs were concealed within cardboard shipments. From there, the drugs were transported to an apartment in Madrid, guarded around the clock by an individual responsible for distributing them to "mules" across various provinces. These "mules" were compensated based on the travel distance and the quantity of drugs they transported. Other traffickers also visited the apartment to purchase drugs in bulk.

The gang was highly organised, with a clear hierarchy. At the top was the leader, responsible for liaising with suppliers and other traffickers for sales. Below him were individuals who provided clients from different parts of Spain and managed logistics and infrastructure, including warehouses, vehicles, and meeting locations. A third group, the "mules," handled distribution via car journeys, carrying weapons to prevent drug theft by rival traffickers. The 31 arrested individuals, detained in Ciudad Real, Toledo, Madrid, and Albacete, face charges of criminal organisation membership, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of firearms. Seventeen of them have been remanded in custody by judicial order.