Guns-for-cannabis network hit with 587 kg of marijuana seized
On 23 March 2026 police in Spain, Bulgaria and Greece arrested 21 suspects in a Europol-backed action against a network that traded Balkan and Turkish firearms for cannabis; Spanish forces seized 587.56 kg of marijuana and 76.54 kg of hashish, with 18 arrests in Spain including 14 in Catalonia.
🇪🇸 Catalonia and Málaga, Spain
- Arrested
- 21
- Cannabis
- 587.6 kg
Police across Spain, Bulgaria and Greece arrested 21 people on 23 March 2026 in a
coordinated strike against a network Europol said swapped firearms from the Western
Balkans and Türkiye for large-scale cannabis trafficking.[1][2]
Spanish Mossos d’Esquadra and National Police, with Europol, detained 18 suspects in
Spain — 14 in Catalonia at Teià, Barcelona, Mataró, Sabadell, Tordera and Lloret de
Mar, and four in Málaga — while Bulgaria arrested three including a Turkish national
described as the group’s leader.[1][2] Investigators said the organisation sourced
marijuana in Catalonia and Málaga for export toward Türkiye and Greece, using
imported weapons as payment in drug deals.[1][2]
Seizures on the action day included seven semi-automatic pistols, a war-grade weapon,
silencers and suppressors, 587.56 kg of marijuana and 76.54 kg of hashish; Europol
estimated the drugs’ illicit market value at EUR 4.4 million.[1][2] The Mossos said
the inquiry remained open and further arrests were possible.[2]
Sources
- Guns-for-cannabis network hit: Europol high-value target arrested in international action. Europol, 30 March 2026. Archived copy.
- 21 arrested in an operation against a network that trafficked 'Frankenstein' weapons and more than half a ton of marijuana. Catalan Police (APD), 31 March 2026.
Open questions the AI reported
- Arrests and searches also took place in Bulgaria and Greece; this report uses Spain as the primary operational country because most detainees and the cannabis sourcing were there.
- The 76.54 kg of hashish seized is not included in the kg_seized figure, which covers marijuana only.
- Europol put the combined illicit value of the drugs seized in the investigation at EUR 4.4 million; individual prices were not broken down by substance.