The Spanish Civil Guard and the National Republican Guard (GNR) have dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking, which smuggled drugs into Spain and Portugal via the Guadiana River. In this operation, dubbed “Trident,” both police forces seized 265 bales of hashish, weighing a total of 10,600 kg. Ten people were arrested, and nine vehicles and three firearms were confiscated.
The operation began when, in the early hours of August 20, a drug storage facility was located in a building in the town of Ayamonte (Huelva), thanks to a large surveillance operation.
The Civil Guard surprised three members of the criminal organization inside this stash house and seized a total of 132 bales of hashish, weighing 5,280 kg. They also impounded six vehicles, five of which were stolen and had been modified to transport narcotics. Finally, they confiscated two firearms: a pistol and an assault rifle, both loaded and ready for use.
The three members of the organization were arrested and brought before a judge as alleged perpetrators of drug trafficking, illegal possession of weapons, vehicle theft, and document forgery. They have all been remanded in custody.
On August 22, just two days later, the Spanish Civil Guard and the Portuguese GNR deployed a surveillance operation at another property located in Portugal, on the banks of the Guadiana River, at a strategic point on the border between Spain and Portugal.
There, another drug den was finally located, in which 133 bales of hashish were seized, with a total weight of 5,320 kilograms, three vehicles, at least one of them stolen, and a pistol.
Pursuit by land, sea and air
The members of the organization inside the building initially managed to escape aboard a boat. However, thanks to a large-scale deployment of air, sea, and land resources by both the Civil Guard and the National Republican Guard, the boat was intercepted and its occupants apprehended. In total, seven people were arrested as alleged perpetrators of a crime against public health for drug trafficking, as well as for the crimes of vehicle theft and illegal possession of firearms.
They were all brought before the judicial authorities of Portugal on August 24 and were eventually placed in pretrial detention.
With this operation, the collaboration between the Civil Guard and the National Republican Guard has made it possible to dismantle a powerful criminal organization of drug traffickers that operated in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula.