Police officers in Spain have arrested a top police official for alleged corruption and other charges.
The police official served as head of the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police in Madrid.
On November 8, law enforcement officials arrested the official in connection with an investigation into a drug trafficking organisation.
During searches of the suspect’s home in Alcala de Henare, east of the Spanish capital, and his office, authorities reportedly discovered more than €20 million in concealed cash, mostly hidden in the walls and ceilings. €1 million was found in two locked cupboards, in bills of €50 to €500.
Police officers told Spanish media the situation reminded them of the late Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug lord.
Despite being considered an “exemplary” agent, hard-working and discreet, internal investigations have allegedly connected the individual to a drug trafficking cartel he was supposed to fight. He was arrested along with his wife, also a National Police agent, and 14 other people.
The couple were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and involvement in a criminal organisation after appearing before a Madrid court a few days ago, when they were remanded in detention, according to a judicial source.
The police moved in after Spain’s largest-ever cocaine bust, with agents seizing 13 tons of cocaine in the port of Algeciras, on a ship arriving from Ecuador. The drugs were hidden in crates of fruit.
Authorities said they suspected the officer used his position to facilitate cartel activities, allegedly giving information and cover to avoid police checks.
The officer previously spent a decade with the Central Narcotics Brigade (UDYCO), where he specialised in chasing online drug trafficking. He reportedly became the leading specialist in so-called “dark-web” browsing.
He went on to become chief inspector and joined the Economic Crimes and Fiscal Unit of Madrid, combating fraud and money laundering. There, Internal Affairs kept an eye on him, having reportedly had suspicions of possible wrongdoing for some time.
Sources close to the investigation have revealed to Spanish media that “the arrests of several high-ranking police officers in recent years would reveal a much wider network of corruption”, all related to alleged drug trafficking, helping the perpetrators.
Between 2011 and 2020, 148 civil guards were arrested on such charges, the Spanish Government said, replying to a question from an MP. It did not disclose the number of convictions.
The drugs found in this case were destined for Alicante, which “had been receiving large quantities of fruit imported from Ecuador for years”, according to the authorities.
A similar previous case led to the arrest of another top officer at the Central Narcotics Brigade in Alicante and it is alleged both incidents are connected.
Spanish sources close to the investigation claimed that “the capture of [the suspect] could be the tip of the iceberg of a network of police corruption of great magnitude”.
“This network of corruption seems to have developed over years because such a large amount of money cannot be made quickly,” El Cierre Digital reported the sources as saying.
Spain, which has close ties to its former colonies in Latin America and nearby Morocco, is seen as a key entry point for cocaine and cannabis in Europe.
