WATCH: Guardia Civil uncovers two clandestine laboratories producing cocaine and speed in La Rioja and Madrid

Guardia Civil uncovers two clandestine laboratories producing cocaine and speed in La Rioja and Madrid

Image of a Guardia Civil raid. Credit: Guardia Civil

Two clandestine laboratories producing cocaine and speed in La Rioja and Madrid have been destroyed by the Guardia Civil.

A joint operation conducted by Spain’s Guardia Civil, the National Police and the Tax Agency, resulted in the disbanding of a large criminal group. It was allegedly dedicated to the production and distribution in the north of Spain of important quantities of narcotic substances, mainly speed and cocaine.

As reported in a statement, ‘Operation Kilos-Adeva-Disney’ was coordinated by the Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO). Four individuals were arrested – three Colombians and a Spaniard – aged between 23 and 45 years old and residents of La Rioja and Madrid.

As a result of the investigations, two laboratories dedicated to the intensive processing of amphetamine sulphate and the extraction of coca alkaloids to obtain cocaine have been smashed.

They were working at full capacity and it is estimated that they had a processing capacity of about 150 kilograms of speed per month. Both laboratories had all the necessary equipment to carry out the processing of precursor substances – the obtaining of speed and the extraction of cocaine.

During the exploitation phase of the operation, a total of seven searches were carried out in the towns of Autol, Agoncillo, Arrubal and Lardero in La Rioja, and Leganes in Madrid.

Officers seized a total of 104. 794 grams of amphetamine sulphate-speed, 2,456 grams of ketamine, and 1,328 grams of cocaine. A further 290 litres of precursors and 15 kilos of cutting substances were confiscated, along with €7,000 in cash, €21,000 in cryptocurrencies, and prohibited weapons.

The seized narcotic substances of high purity once adulterated would have been converted into almost 448,687 doses, valued on the illicit market at €4,973,413.

After the discovery in August 2022 of the existence of a criminal group operating in La Rioja and Madrid, the investigation was launched.

‘Operation Kilos-Disney-Adeva’ was a highly complex affair, mainly due to the security measures adopted by those under investigation. They had a large infrastructure of homes to be controlled and numerous vehicles which they used to move around Madrid, La Rioja and the neighbouring provinces.

With the information gathered during the months of investigation, the officers were able to define in detail the entire infrastructure of the organisation. They figured out its criminal network, the roles played by each of its members, their dangerousness, their bases of operations, the clandestine laboratories, and the method they used to finally distribute the substances.

This exhaustive work made it possible to find out that the criminal group was going to introduce an important consignment of speed and cocaine into the market. As a result, with the agreement of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, a request was made to the head of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 3 of Logroño in La Rioja for the entry and search of seven properties.

It is significant that in La Rioja, in one of the searches, instruments, chemical substances, and precursors for the imminent establishment of a laboratory for the extraction of coca alkaloid to obtain cocaine were found.

The detainees, after appearing in court, were placed at the disposal of the aforementioned court of Logroño, which ordered the imprisonment of three of the four detainees.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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