Major Drug Trafficking Organisation Disrupted in the Canary Islands
The Civil Guard and the Tax Agency, in collaboration with Europol, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Judicial Police of Cape Verde, have dismantled one of the most active and violent criminal organisations involved in international drug trafficking in the Canary Islands. The operation, codenamed Silbo, resulted in 34 arrests, with 18 individuals remanded in custody, and the seizure of 2,185 kilograms of cocaine, alongside firearms, luxury vehicles, boats, and real estate valued at over two million euros. The exploitation phase included actions in Tenerife, La Gomera, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura, as well as in Madrid, Barcelona, Pontevedra, A Coruña, and Málaga, involving nearly 40 searches.
The investigation, led by the Central Operational Unit (UCO) and the Customs Surveillance Service, has benefited from the collaboration of EUROPOL, the US DEA, and the Judicial Police of Cape Verde, as part of the GDIN project funded by the European Commission through its Anti-Drug Criminal Intelligence Centre.
Leadership and Operations
According to the Civil Guard, the leader of the organisation, a 42-year-old businessman from Tenerife, directed the network from the islands through a complex web of national and foreign companies involved in the restaurant industry, real estate investments, and vehicle rentals, in addition to ties with fishing companies.
The organisation allegedly introduced consignments of cocaine via motherships along the notorious “African cocaine route.” In January 2024, 500 kilograms were seized, followed by another 1,600 kilograms in November 2024, both destined for Santa Cruz de Tenerife after transshipments in the Atlantic.
Ongoing Investigations
The operation included actions in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, where, as in the other locations, searches and arrests were made as part of the EUROPOL-coordinated initiative. The investigation remains open for financial and documentation analysis purposes, according to the Civil Guard.
Dismantled in the Canary Islands is one of the most active and violent drug trafficking networks in Europe.
