In the province of Valencia, police officers and the Civil Guard carried out a large-scale operation in which three men were arrested and nearly 1.7 tons of cocaine were seized. The operation began with surveillance of a truck that left the port of Valencia and headed to an industrial area in the municipality of Vallada. The driver’s behavior seemed suspicious to the authorities, so they decided to follow the vehicle.
The truck entered a warehouse in the La Costera industrial area, where it stayed for only a few minutes. After the vehicle left, police began searching the warehouse. Inside, they discovered 690 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a massive steel crate. Investigators believe this storage method was chosen to prevent the drugs from being detected during inspections at the port.
Further investigation led to an inspection of the entire contents of the container carried by the same truck. As a result, authorities found more than a ton of cocaine that the suspects had not managed to retrieve due to the large volume. All detainees are believed to be members of an organized criminal group involved in the logistics and distribution of illegal substances.
Investigators are currently determining whether this shipment is linked to the recent “Spider” operation, during which 81 people were arrested, including employees of the Valencia port. At that time, authorities uncovered a network that had been smuggling cocaine through the port for years, using sophisticated schemes and concealment methods. Notably, they employed the “blind hook” technique, where drugs are hidden in containers with legal cargo, while neither the sender nor the recipient is aware of their presence.
The investigation, which began in early 2024, is ongoing. Investigators do not rule out that the group identified may be part of a larger cartel operating in Spain and other countries. Valencia’s judicial authorities have already joined the case to establish all the details and possible links between those detained and other participants in the drug trade.
