Police dismantle drug smuggling ring operating via sailboats in Sitges and Manresa

Police have dismantled an international drug trafficking organization in Barcelona that used recreational sailboats in their smuggling operations.

Officers from Spain's Guardia Civil arrested three individuals and seized 400 kilograms of hashish and 4.5 kilograms of cocaine, along with two vehicles, a motorcycle, a boat, seven electronic devices, geolocation systems, and related documentation.

The Guardia Civil carried out four searches – of vehicles, homes, premises, and boats: three at the Port of Garraf in Sitges and one in Manresa.

The group operated with a defined hierarchical structure and used storage points in various locations to avoid police detection.

They loaded the drugs into vans from these locations and transferred them to sailboats, using leisure routes to evade surveillance on commercial shipping lanes.

The drugs were found in two premises at the Port of Garraf and in one vehicle.

The detainees are 47, 68, and 55 years old and are of North Macedonian, Italian, and Spanish nationality.

The Spanish national is considered the leader of the group and was already known to investigators for previous operations.

The case is being handled by Investigative Court No. 7 of Vilanova i la Geltrú.