Civil Guard Arrests 18 People for Drug Trafficking at the Port of Algeciras
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The Civil Guard arrested 18 people, eight of them dockworkers, in an operation against a drug trafficking network operating at the Port of Algeciras. The investigation, called Operation Uroboros, linked the group to four cocaine seizures carried out at the port that together total 139.28 kilograms of the drug.
Hierarchical structure with port access
According to sources, this was a stable, hierarchically organized network divided into two branches: one responsible for extracting the drugs from containers inside the port, and another dedicated to logistics, surveillance of security forces, and countersurveillance measures. The authorized access of the eight arrested dockworkers to the container terminal gave the group direct knowledge of cargo movements, making extractions easier with less risk of detection, unlike previous operations in which outsiders not affiliated with the port typically intervened by sneaking in covertly.
Searches and findings
Officers carried out nine searches at properties in Algeciras, La Línea de la Concepción and Puente Mayorga, in San Roque. At a residence linked to the alleged leader of the organization, 12 kilograms of cocaine, 457,020 euros in cash, two handguns, ammunition and a bulletproof vest were found. In another search, a frequency detector used to locate tracking devices installed by security forces was seized, along with two vehicles linked to the suspects.
The "lost hook" method
The method used by the network is known as the "lost hook" or "blind hook," which involves hiding cocaine among legal cargo transported in containers arriving from South America. The drugs were extracted at a transit port, in this case Algeciras, while the containers continued on to their final destination without the exporter or importer being aware that their cargo had been used to smuggle drugs.
Judicial investigation
The investigation was led by the Judicial Police Unit of the Algeciras Civil Guard Command, under the direction of the Investigating Section of Algeciras Plaza Court No. 2, with coordination from the Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office of Campo de Gibraltar. The detainees, case files and seized items were placed at the disposal of the court, which ordered pretrial detention without bail for six of those arrested.
