Officers of the Spanish National Police have carried out a successful operation detaining three suspected members of the ‘Ndrangheta’ mafia on the island of Ibiza. According to law enforcement, the detainees were attempting to establish the criminal group’s operations on the country’s eastern coast.
All three arrested men are in their thirties and have previous criminal records. Italian authorities had been searching for them on charges of drug trafficking and participation in organized crime. Preliminary reports indicate they had been in Spain for about a year, moving between Catalonia and the Levante region.
During a joint operation by Spanish and Italian law enforcement, searches were conducted resulting in the seizure of handwritten notes detailing drug trafficking activities, as well as high-quality forged documents that allowed them to conceal their real identities. This points to their significant roles within the mafia structure.
Following the arrests, which took place last Friday, the court ordered all three to be held in custody. Investigators believe that the group uncovered is just part of a broader network that may be active in Spain.
It is known that the detainees left Italy several months before the completion of a large-scale investigation called Anemone. In July last year, as part of this operation, 24 people were arrested in Italy and Albania. Before their escape, the suspects were linked to a Rome cell of the ’Ndrangheta, specializing in international drug trafficking.
This structure was led by a 57-year-old native of Calabria, who was detained a month earlier. He had already been convicted for involvement in mafia activities in Turin, after which he moved to Rome and took control of the San Basilio district, where he formed his own criminal group that included his sons. The organization maintained close ties with Albanian criminal circles.
Operation Anemone uncovered a scheme whereby drugs were shipped out of ports in Spain and the Netherlands, then delivered to various districts of the Italian capital. It was for their involvement in these operations that Italian authorities issued European arrest warrants for three individuals detained in Spain.
Spanish police note that the fight against transnational criminal organizations such as the ’Ndrangheta has become a priority since 2024. Special attention is being paid to the mafia’s attempts to penetrate the economy, politics, and the country’s public life.
The operation involved not only organized crime specialists, but also units specializing in apprehending particularly dangerous criminals, as well as police officers from Ibiza and Barcelona. During the searches, authorities seized 35,000 euros in cash, valuable jewelry, forged documents, narcotics, mobile phones, and other materials that are now being examined by investigators.
The arrest was conducted under heightened security measures. One of the suspects attempted to escape by leaving the apartment where his accomplices were located and hiding in a neighboring building. He was later apprehended while trying to flee by car.
Law enforcement officials emphasize that information exchange between Spanish and Italian agencies played a key role in the successful completion of the operation. The data obtained will allow the investigation to continue and help uncover other possible mafia connections in Spain.
