A joint National Police and Civil Guard operation dismantled a criminal organization that imported, stored and distributed large quantities of hashish between the Canary Islands archipelago and the Iberian Peninsula.[1] Officers arrested 25 people, and the court ordered 16 of those involved held in provisional imprisonment.[1] The detainees were brought before a judge as alleged perpetrators of drug-trafficking and criminal-organization offences.[1]
Across five operations on Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote, officers seized more than 7,500 kilos of hashish, with approximately 5,800 kilos found on Gran Canaria, more than 800 kilos on Tenerife and nearly 1,000 kilos on Lanzarote.[1] The largest interception came in the early hours of May 11th in the Sardina del Norte area of Gran Canaria, when investigators intercepted an inflatable boat as bales of hashish were unloaded on shore.[1] Nine people were arrested in that landing, with more than 3,000 additional kilos seized along with the vessel used for transport.[1] In a final phase, six house searches in Gran Canaria and Malaga recovered more than 250,000 euros in cash, a handgun with ammunition, bladed weapons and investigation documents.[1]
The case began in late 2025 when separate National Police and Civil Guard inquiries into an active Canary Islands trafficker were found to overlap, leading to an eight-month joint operation.[1] Investigators described a network operating across the archipelago with links to the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and South America, using rotated vehicles and phones, surveillance and counter-surveillance, and maritime infrastructure to bring in and move shipments.[1] Police said the investigation remains open, with other identified members wanted and further arrests not ruled out.[1]
