Spanish Police dismantled last year 274 groups of organized crime

USPA NEWS - The Spanish Police dismantled last year 274 groups related to organized crime in Spain and arrested 5,936 people, according to the results of Balance in 2015 against organized corruption and crime and fraud in the X Legislature, presented by the acting Minister of Home Affairs, Jorge Fernandez Diaz.

In 2015, the Spanish Security Forces investigated 18.463 people and 445 organized crime groups, of which 274 were totally disjointed (62%) and 158 were partially disjointed (35%). 80% of these groups has a time of less than three years´ activity, 68% is made up of people from more than one nationality and 19% only by Spaniards. In addition, 65% of the groups presents international activity and 60% was detected over 2015.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, stressed that has acted in a completely or partially against 97% of the groups, "which shows the large police effectively combat this phenomenon and the total dismantling of 62% of these groups." Regarding its main activities, 28% of these groups was trafficking cocaine (123), 21% of hashish trafficking (95), 16% to burglary (69), 11% to the commission scams (48), 8% to robbery with violence or intimidation (34), 6% to trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitation (25), 5% to trafficking of synthetic drugs (23), another 5% to money laundering (21) and 4% to heroin (18).

Spanish Security Forces have seized a total of 1,657 vehicles, 153 boats, 10 aircraft, 309 firearms, 433 bladed weapons, 899 computers, 6,455 mobile phones, 169 buildings and 26.5 million Euros. The estimated minimum value of all assets seized from organized crime, except drugs, amounts to 128,717,000 Euros.
About drugs seized these groups have seized 17,584 kilos of cocaine, which represents 80% of total cocaine seized in Spain; 190,882 kilos of hashish, which accounts for about 50% of hashish seized in Spain; 173 kilos of heroin and 145 kilos of speed. Compared with the previous year, seizures of cocaine and hashish have increased by 8% and heroin more than 20%.

The amounts seized in 2015 by the Spanish Security Forces represent about hashish, 70% of all seized in the European Union and 23% worldwide. And with regard to cocaine, apprehensions in the X Legislature account for 43% of cocaine in the EU intervened and 5% worldwide. In addition, total cocaine operated both at sea and at ports and airports accounts for about 62% of all cocaine seized in Spain. In this sense, Jorge Fernandez Diaz said that "Spain is undoubtedly the embankment of illicit drug trafficking."

In the X Legislature they have been investigated for having some relationship with organized crime, more than 69,000 people, and 25,000 people were arrested. Over these four years, the number of investigated has increased from 16,642 in 2012 to reach 18,436 last year. As the number of detainees, the figures have remained at around 6,000 per year, in particular, of the 6,460 in 2012 to a total of 5,936 in 2015.

The minister noted that since the establishment in October 2014 the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO its Spanish acronym), have been detected over 250 matches between related persons mainly drug trafficking and money laundering to jihadist terrorism. Organized crime groups can be divided into three distinct types: high intensity, typical and low intensity.

The activity of organized crime in Spain is mainly concentrated in Madrid and Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast, and on the Galician coast, although these groups do not limit their activities in one province. In addition to Madrid and Barcelona, also highlight other provinces such as Valencia, Alicante, Malaga and Cadiz, followed by Sevilla and Murcia, and A Coruna, Pontevedra, Toledo, Granada and Tarragona, among others.