Express kidnap drama: Five fake police drag a bloodied man from a car on Barcelona’s AP-7

Saturday evening traffic on the AP-7, the main motorway from France down the Mediterranean coast, turned ugly just north-east of Barcelona. This was not out in the countryside. It happened on the busy commuter stretch through Valles Oriental, roughly 25 to 35 kilometres from the city centre and about a 20-minute drive from Barcelona on a clear run.

What witnesses saw on the motorway

Around 7.30pm on September 19, traffic slammed to a halt on a busy stretch of the AP-7 through Valles Oriental. Two cars boxed in a third, and then five men piled out wearing balaclavas and police-style high-vis. Several reports say they carried pistols. They dragged a man from the rear of the trapped car. His face was covered in blood. They then forced him into one of their vehicles, and they were gone in under a minute.

One driver told emergency operators he was not sure they were real officers. The kit looked genuine, but the violence did not. That caller’s footage has now been shared widely, with other drivers filming from neighbouring lanes. Mossos d’Esquadra’s Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) has opened a case for illegal detention and impersonating police.

🇪🇸 | Denuncian un secuestro en la AP-7 a su paso por Montornès del Vallès:

La policía catalana busca a cinco hombres tras un secuestro a última hora de la tarde en la AP-7, a la altura de Montornès del Vallès (Barcelona). Según las primeras informaciones, los individuos habrían…

— ʜᴇʀQʟᴇs (@herqles_es) September 20, 2026

Victim found hours later, no ransom reported

Officers located the man later the same evening at another spot in Catalonia. He was described as safe and without serious injuries, though his face was still bloodied when first seen. Investigators have not said a ransom was demanded or paid. Spanish media are treating this as a short, targeted snatch rather than a classic cash-for-release kidnapping.

A vehicle used by the group was later found abandoned. Names of the five men have not been released. Nobody has been publicly arrested.

Why investigators talk about a drugs score-settling

Police sources quoted by Catalan outlets say this does not look like a random grab of an ordinary driver. Leading working theory is a dispute between criminal groups, possibly tied to a drugs-related dispute, or what what Spanish officers call a “narcoasalto” to do with unpaid debts in that trade. Mossos have not put that on an official press release, but it is the line repeated across Ara, La Vanguardia, El Periodico and Antena 3.

Impersonating police to stop a car or raid another crew is an old trick in Spain’s drugs world. Euro Weekly News has previously covered gangs who dressed as officers to steal from rivals, including a Toledo case where fake police “arrested” two women and a Campo de Gibraltar group that stormed a drugs farm shouting “Guardia Civil”. A 2024 Catalan investigation also netted a former National Police officer accused of running “vuelcos”, or violent rip-offs of other criminals with fake vests and car number plates.

This AP-7 job looks like it was in that world more than in the world of tourist muggings. Still, anyone who uses that motorway should treat a sudden “police” stop with caution.

AP-7 already has a rough reputation

Spain’s Mediterranean motorway has long drawn thieves as well as lorries. In 2019 Mossos smashed a gang that slashed tyres at AP-7 tolls and service areas, then robbed holidaymakers who pulled over, especially in the area of Barcelona. Catalan authorities have since added extra CCTV, truck checks and the Kanpai Pista plan onto the same road after calling it one of the most dangerous stretches in the region.

What drivers should do if a “police” car boxes them in

UK Foreign Office advice for Spain has long warned motorists about bogus officers in unmarked cars. Real traffic stops on a motorway are usually obvious: marked vehicles, visible uniforms, a proper place to pull over. If something feels off, whereas, balaclavas, no plates that look official, a shove instead of a request for papers, it’s best to stay in the car, lock the doors and call 112. Do not follow a second vehicle “to the station”. Do not get out on a live lane because someone in a cheap vest bangs on the window.

Mossos advice in similar cases is the same: do not play along in a dark or isolated spot. Film if it is safe. Get a registration if you can. Saturday’s witnesses did exactly that, which is why this story exists at all.

Where the enquiry is now

Until arrests are made, that is all that can be said with confidence. A man was taken in full view of the public. He was later found. Five suspects are still being sought. Anyone with extra footage or a plate number should call 112 or their local Mossos station rather than posting guesses online.