The Spanish Civil Guard and the Tax Agency, as part of Operation ‘Principito’/’Tajuli’, have arrested 20 people for tobacco smuggling, and have seized 23,000 kilos of tobacco and 38,000 packs of cigarettes after carrying out 17 raids and searches in several municipalities in the province of Ciudad Real and Madrid.
The main detainees, including the leader of the criminal organization, have been remanded in custody without bail.
The investigations began in early 2025, when information was received about an organization located in the Province of Ciudad Real that could be dedicated to the illicit manufacture, storage and distribution of contraband tobacco to various points in the national territory.
In the first phase of the operation, investigators carried out 17 searches in homes and premises in Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Almodóvar del Campo, Villamayor de Calatrava, Bolaños, Almagro and Pozuelo de Calatrava, as well as in the Madrid town of Fuenlabrada.
As a result of this operation, 23 tons of loose tobacco and 38,000 packs of cigarettes were seized, along with cardboard boxes bearing official brands, scales, presses, bags, and other materials used to cut, package, and prepare the merchandise for sale. Eighteen people were arrested, including the leader of the organization.
The officers also seized €90,000 in cash, ammunition, a pistol, a rifle, bladed weapons, and high-end watches. Most of the tobacco was located during a search in Fuenlabrada (Madrid), from where the merchandise was allegedly being distributed.
Second phase of exploitation
In mid-July 2026, during the second phase of the operation, four new raids were carried out in the towns of Navalcarnero and Aranjuez in Madrid, as well as in Sagunto (Valencia) and Almenara (Castellón). This phase concluded with two arrests and three individuals under investigation who were responsible for the logistics, storage, and transport of the contraband tobacco.
Ten of the 20 detainees have been brought before the Court of First Instance in Puertollano (Ciudad Real), Courtroom Number 2, and have been remanded in custody without bail after giving their statements. They are charged with the alleged crimes of smuggling, money laundering, tax evasion, drug trafficking, and belonging to a criminal organization.
The investigation was conducted jointly from the outset by the EDOA (Specialized Drug Enforcement Team) of the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard Command in Ciudad Real and the Ciudad Real Operational Unit of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency. The searches were carried out in a coordinated manner between the USECIC (Citizen Security Unit), the Organic Unit of the Judicial Police of the Civil Guard Command in Ciudad Real, the EDOA of the Civil Guard, and the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Area of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency.