Civil Guard arrests key member of drug-trafficking network wanted by Germany in Tenerife
The Civil Guard arrested a German citizen aged between 33 and 35 in Tenerife, a member of an international drug-trafficking network that has been under investigation by the BKA since 2021.
German fugitive wanted for international drug trafficking arrested in Tenerife
The Civil Guard arrested one of the principal members of a criminal organisation dedicated to international drug trafficking on 28 January in Tenerife, according to ABC. The arrested man, of German nationality and aged between 33 and 35, was wanted by the authorities of his country.
The network had been under investigation since 2021 by Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Its activity consisted of acquiring large quantities of drugs in Spain for subsequent shipment to Germany. During that investigation, German authorities intercepted several dozen shipments, including consignments of cocaine, amphetamine and marijuana.
Mounting police pressure in Germany led two of the principal targets of the investigation to relocate to Spain in June 2025. It was then that the BKA requested the collaboration of the Civil Guard to locate the fugitives in Spanish territory.
The case was handed to the Organised Crime and Anti-Drug Team (EDOA) of the Alicante Command. Investigators determined that one of the suspects was in Alicante province and that the other had established himself in Tenerife. The EDOA of Tenerife provided support in locating the latter.
The fugitive's constant movements around the island hampered his location for months and forced officers to maintain continuous surveillance to prevent him from escaping again. Finally, after several months of tracking, he was arrested on 28 January 2026.
The other suspect was located and arrested on 7 July at a property in Cartagena, in the Region of Murcia.
Following his arrest, the man detained in Tenerife was brought before the National Court, which ordered his remand in custody while extradition proceedings to Germany are processed.
Source: ABC