In Alicante, the organization responsible for smuggling 4 tonnes of hashish into Tarragona has been dismantled.

How Spain's Authorities Ripped Apart a Dangerous Drug Ring

A criminal network based in Alicante, Spain has been taken down by the local police and Mossos d'Esquadra following a daring drug landing operation in May 2024, resulting in a total of thirteen arrests. On January 21, 2025, five individuals, including a woman, were apprehended in connection to this hashish landing in the Port Olivet cove of l'Ametlla de Mar.

The action kicked off on May 26, 2023, when Mossos thwarted the landing of a narco-boat brimming with over a hundred bales of hashish, weighing an estimated four tons. Upon their intervention, they discovered a 15-meter long plane-type boat adorned with three outboard engines, a van, scattered bales on the beach, and a group of people making a hasty exit.

During this raid, Mossos found a 9mm bullet inside the narco-boat and a concealed short weapon with matching ammunition, which, authorities allege, were discarded by the traffickers while they were fleeing. At the time, a Joint Investigation Team was established, teaming up with the Drug and Organized Crime Unit of the National Police in Alicante.

Months of in-depth investigation led to the identification of six more individuals residing in Alicante, who reportedly had direct ties to the l'Ametlla landing. A joint operation was organized, leading to the arrests of these six suspects. Their homes were searched, and the leader's residence, situated in the town of Muro de Alcoy, yielded small quantities of hashish.

The six detainees, ranging in age from 25 to 40, are charged with health-related offenses and membership in a criminal gang. They were briefly held at the Tortosa police headquarters before being handed over to the court on January 23, 2025.

Many of those involved in this operation already had prior run-ins with the law, and the investigation is still ongoing. The UDYCO of Alicante and the Tortosa Local Police Station collaborated with the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) of the Mossos d'Esquadra's Regional Police of Terres de l'Ebre in this raid.

While particulars about the specific criminal group and the Alicante-Tarragona operation aren't extensively detailed here, it is illustrative of the continued threats that organized criminal activity presents in Spain. Instances such as the Ghost Platform Network, which took advantage of encrypted communication channels to traffic drugs, and a weapons bust in Granada, where underground networks supplied firearms to drug traffickers using secure messaging apps, underscore the tactics employed by these groups [1][5].

As of now, additional official reports would be required to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the May 2024 l'Ametlla de Mar drug landing case.

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Hashish Landing in l'Ametlla de Mar

Drug Trafficking

Organized Crime in Alicante

Mossos d'Esquadra

National Police

Tarragona

Encrypted Communication

Custom Concealment Techniques

Arms Smuggling

** Spanib border operations**

The 2024 drug ring bust in l'Ametalla de Mar, Alicante, resulted in 13 arrests and the seizure of over four tons of hashish.
The general-news story of the May 2024 drug landing in l'Ametlla de Mar involved encrypted communication and custom concealment techniques.
In 2025, five individuals, including a woman, were apprehended for their roles in the hashish landing in Port Olivet cove, l'Ametlla de Mar.
The Mossos d'Esquadra, in collaboration with the National Police, carried out a joint operation in 2023 to disrupt an organized crime network involved in a narco-boat landing in Alicante, Spain.