A joint operation, carried out by the Spanish Civil Guard and the French Gendarmerie, has managed to dismantle a criminal group that was dedicated to international drug trafficking in Catalonia and France, according to both police forces in a joint note. The organization operated through the Telegram instant messaging application and was paid in cryptocurrencies.
The operation has resulted in 22 arrests that have occurred in the cities of Barcelona, Girona, Bordeaux and Toulouse. Specifically, four people were arrested in Spain (two in Maçanet de la Selva, one in Tordera and the other in Caldes de Malavella) and the rest in France.
Operation Stup Iron 31 has involved a total of 22 searches, 18 of them in France and 4 in Spain, in which a total of 178,000 euros have been seized and 70,000 euros have been blocked in different bank accounts. Likewise, 8.6 kilos of cocaine, 121 kilos of marijuana, 56 kilos of cannabis resin, four firearms, 11 high-end vehicles and luxury items from drug trafficking have been seized.
The modus operandi of the transactions was simple. The organization sold the narcotics via the aforementioned messaging application, made shipments through postal parcels and received payments in cryptocurrencies. According to the note, the investigation would have shown that it was a "perfectly structured and compartmentalized" organization and that the city of Barcelona was the connection point between the different groups that supplied it. This means that the merchandise was acquired in Spain to be later distributed to the neighboring country.
Investigators have also identified the member of the criminal group who acted as a key player in the network, and who is accused of being the manager of a large part of the importation of drugs from Spain to Bordeaux and Toulouse. This individual has been arrested in Girona while trying to flee with part of the money used to purchase the drugs in Spain.
