Air drug-trafficking network dismantled between São Paulo and Barcelona: five arrested and 162 kg of cocaine seized
The National Police dismantled a transnational organisation that used employees of El Prat airport to extract cocaine arriving from Brazil.
El Prat airport employees key to cocaine operation between Brazil and Spain
Five people have been arrested—four in Spain and one in Brazil—following the dismantling of a transnational criminal organisation dedicated to sending cocaine by air between São Paulo-Guarulhos international airport and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, according to interior.gob.es. The operation, coordinated between the Spanish National Police, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the São Paulo Federal Police, also resulted in the seizure of 162 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in three large suitcases.
The investigation began in late November 2025, when three workers at El Prat airport were arrested whilst attempting to extract the three suitcases by bypassing the usual baggage circuit controls. The detainees provided handling services—ground assistance for aircraft—and had more than ten years of seniority in their positions; some held positions of responsibility within the company, which facilitated the activity going unnoticed.
The modus operandi: receipt, extraction and delivery
The organisation structured its operation in three phases. First, employees in the restricted area received flights from countries exporting narcotics and diverted the suitcases of interest from their usual route, avoiding raising suspicion among other personnel. Next, a second worker was responsible for physically removing the drugs from the airport. Finally, a third member off-duty collected the shipment and delivered it to the branch of the organisation operating in Spain.
The three seized suitcases were identical in size and belonged to a well-known prestigious brand. Once their origin and destination had been analysed, Spanish agents provided Brazilian authorities with the necessary data to trace the source of the shipment from the flight from São Paulo-Guarulhos.
Operations in Brazil: a tractor and the perimeter fence
The Brazilian Federal Police sequentially analysed images from the airport's video surveillance system and cross-referenced access records to reconstruct how the drugs had been introduced onto the aircraft. The images revealed that an airport employee used a service tractor to move an empty trailer to the perimeter area of the airport, in a wooded area adjacent to the security fence. From there he transported the packages directly to the lower cargo hold of the aircraft destined for Barcelona. After completing the transfer, he abandoned the vehicle in an equipment car park and fled on foot through the terminal.
As a result of that investigation, the Federal Police arrested the suspect identified in the transfer. A pistol with the serial number filed off was seized from him.
The final phase: the businessman from Baix Llobregat
On 15 April, the final phase of the investigation was executed with the identification and arrest of a businessman from Baix Llobregat identified as the principal person responsible for coordinating the operation in Spain. According to the proceedings, this individual managed contacts with suppliers in the country of origin to arrange shipments, coordinated workers at the airports of origin and destination, and supervised the receipt of the suitcases once they had been extracted from the airport premises.
During a search of the detainee's home and surroundings, more than 39,000 euros in cash, four imitation firearms, a high-displacement vehicle and a suitcase with similar characteristics to those seized during the first phase of the operation were seized.
International cooperation, key to success
The operation highlights the importance of collaboration between police forces from different countries. The exchange of information and intelligence between the Spanish National Police and the São Paulo Federal Police proved decisive in completely dismantling the cell responsible for extracting drugs at El Prat, thereby cutting off a channel of cocaine entry into Spanish territory.
The five detainees face charges of membership of a criminal organisation, drug trafficking and, in the case of the person arrested in Brazil, unlawful possession of firearms. The São Paulo Federal Police stressed that the dismantling of this network constitutes a priority in the fight against international drug trafficking and related offences.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)