Two people who were suspects of arming criminal organizations worldwide have been arrested in Spain with Europol’s support.
Police arrested them from their homes in Barcelona and El Masnou on April 20. Police had already arrested seven other team members of the same criminal organization in November 2020.
The study of the proof gathered then during the house searches led to the identification of the suspects arrested in the region of Barcelona this month.
The criminal alliance, operating mainly from Spain, has been under investigation since 2018. Their main work is to transport weapons and explosives across the Mediterranean in order to battle zones subject to global sanctions in North Africa and the Middle East.
Their illicit cargo included heavy armaments, such as tanks and explosive precursors used by terrorists to manufacture improvised explosive devices.
The criminal proceeds were then infiltrated into the legal economy through money laundering schemes before being sent to Spain, and then the criminals invested in real estate and enjoyed a lavish lifestyle.
Spain’s National Police and Tax Authority and the Regional Catalan Police were part of the investigation conducted closely with Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre, which delivered non-sop intelligence development and analysis to support the Spanish investigators. A Europol Mobile Office was also deployed to Barcelona.
The proof seized during the action day in Barcelona is now being analyzed to determine other investigative leads across Europe.
The following authorities in Spain were involved in the investigation:
- National Police (Policía Nacional)
- Regional Catalan Police (Mossos d’Esquadra)
- Tax Authority (Agencia Tributaria)