Spain’s National Police confirmed on 27 October 2026 the detention in Tangier, Morocco, of Juan Carlos T.B., alias Moreno, the alleged leader of one of the largest hashish-trafficking networks in Spain.[1][2] He had been on the run since March and was located and arrested on 8 October under an international detention order; he was in prison in Morocco awaiting extradition to Spain.[1][2]
The arrest caps a UDYCO investigation running since early 2025 into a network moving thousands of kilos of drugs a month from North Africa for distribution in Spain and the rest of Europe.[1][2] In total 86 people were detained in Spain on charges of criminal organisation, drug trafficking and money laundering, 65 of them in Madrid, ten in Guadalajara and five in Valencia, with further arrests in Malaga, Burgos, Almeria and Girona; 18 were remanded in custody by the Audiencia Nacional judge directing the case.[1][2]
Police dismantled seven drug storage sites, including flats in Madrid and an industrial unit in Silla, Valencia, and seized 10.8 tonnes of hashish along with 20 kilos of marijuana buds.[1][2] The leader allegedly ran the network’s logistics, negotiating with suppliers in Morocco and arranging sea and road shipments, vehicles and storage properties.[1]
The detentions came in two waves between September 2025 and October 2026: 22 in the first wave, including Moreno and businessman Juan Andrés, alias Flako, followed by at least 13 more arrests of alleged leadership members in the week the secrecy order was lifted — partial counts reported mid-operation, before the final tally of 86 detentions in Spain.[3] Three Moroccan nationals allegedly rented the stash flats guarding the drugs, and the network ran supplies from the Andalusian coast to Madrid and Valencia using fishing boats, narcolanchas, trucks and stash properties across Huelva, Cádiz, Almería, Alicante and Madrid, laundering proceeds through the company Artecar Solución Grafica.[3] El Español put the total haul at 10,881 kilos of hashish plus 12.30 kilos of marijuana, slightly above the 10.8 tonnes in the police account.[3]