Accounts blocked of suspect in cocaine seizure in A Pobra do Caramiñal
The Provincial Court of A Coruña maintains the blocking of accounts of a suspect in Operation Saona, in which 3.6 tonnes of cocaine were seized.
Galician justice maintains account blocking in Operation Saona
The Provincial Court of A Coruña has rejected a request to unblock the bank accounts of a suspect in Operation Saona, according to ABC. In that operation, carried out in September 2025, 3.6 tonnes of cocaine transported in a semi-submersible vessel to the coast of A Pobra do Caramiñal in Galicia were seized.
The court thus confirms the order of 21 January issued by the Court of First Instance in Muros, which had already rejected the same request. The suspect had appealed that ruling, arguing that neither he nor his partner had any connection to the case, and that their sole income was a pension.
The chamber considers that the requirements for maintaining the precautionary measure are met. In its reasoning, it notes a "real and imminent danger" that the money would be transferred or disappear, which would compromise a potential confiscation. The court adds that the blocking is proportionate to the seriousness of the alleged offence against public health and that it also contributes to preventing evidence of the illicit origin of the funds from disappearing.
The ruling also emphasises that the defence presented no documentation proving that a non-contributory pension was indeed being deposited into the blocked account, as it had claimed in its appeal.
Operation Saona concluded in September 2025 with the arrest of 14 people and the seizure of one of the largest cocaine shipments transported in a semi-submersible vessel intercepted in Galicia. It was also the first time the crew of the vessel was arrested, whose members attempted to pose as pilgrims to flee following the unloading near the island of Sálvora. Twelve of those detained were remanded in custody, investigated for membership of a criminal organisation, drug trafficking and money laundering; the other two were released on condition of appearing before the court weekly.
Source: ABC