Spanish police have dismantled a clandestine arms operation in Girona. Officers seized 644 weapons and arrested a Russian-trained gunsmith. The case exposes a supply chain feeding organized crime with modified firearms and ammunition.
Spanish police have shut down a hidden arms workshop in Girona, seizing 644 weapons and arresting a gunsmith with Russian military training. He is accused of converting blank and trauma pistols into working firearms for criminal groups. The raid, which targeted a storage unit in Figueres, is one of the largest illegal arms seizures in Spain in recent years.
The investigation began after officers in Badajoz intercepted a suspicious package on June 11. Inside, they found a pistol, a submachine gun, a silencer, and a high-capacity drum magazine. Three people connected to the shipment were arrested, and more weapons and ammunition were found in later searches. Police soon uncovered a wider network, including a second operation distributing weapons and ammunition to criminal groups involved in drug trafficking and kidnappings.
Of the 644 weapons seized, 221 had already been modified to fire live ammunition, according to official police data.
Surveillance revealed a pattern of shipments from the Valencian Community, with weapons moving through several provinces. On June 29, police arrested another intermediary in Valencia. He was caught with a rifle and a semi-automatic pistol hidden in a modified car compartment. A search of his home turned up a German army pistol and a shotgun, adding to the evidence of a well-organized supply chain.
The investigation led to a technical specialist working out of a concealed workshop in Girona. This man, a former Russian army expert, was converting blank-firing and trauma pistols into real firearms and making reloaded ammunition. Police linked him to the Figueres storage unit, where most of the weapons were kept. The operation came to a head on August 25, when officers intercepted another package at a Girona courier facility. It was headed for Alzira under a false name and contained a submachine gun with its serial number removed.
With court approval, police searched the suspect’s home in L’Escala and the Figueres storage unit. They found 631 weapons, including real firearms, blank pistols, and trauma guns, along with thousands of cartridges, silencers, and banned gun parts such as slides, frames, barrels, and high-capacity magazines. Among the haul were two submachine guns with erased serial numbers and a rifle with an optical sight, reportedly stolen in Valencia.
In addition to the modified firearms, police seized around 400 units of raw weapon material—traumatic, acoustic, and blank-firing guns intended for further conversion. Authorities believe the group supplied organized criminal networks, and the investigation is ongoing to trace the origins and international channels of the seized arsenal.
Six suspects have been arrested so far. The Russian-trained gunsmith is now in pre-trial detention. Police consider him a key figure for European law enforcement because of his technical skills and his role in arming organized crime. The investigation is still active. The most recent arrest was in Barcelona on August 31, targeting the person who transported weapons from Alicante to Girona.
This case shows how complex illegal arms trafficking has become in Spain. Clandestine workshops and modified weapons continue to supply criminal groups. The size of the Girona arsenal and the technical skill involved set this case apart from routine seizures. Police are still working to break up these networks and stop weapons from reaching violent groups. The crackdown comes after a series of major criminal investigations, including the recent search for a suspect in a deadly Valencia attack. The Girona operation highlights both the determination of Spanish authorities and the persistence of criminal supply chains.
