Drug seizures in León: marijuana sets record with 77.5 kg and 1,247% increase
Marijuana seized in León reached a record figure of 77.5 kilos in 2025, a 1,247% increase compared to 2024, whilst cocaine fell by 74%, according to CITCO.
Record marijuana and cocaine decline mark the drug trafficking landscape in León in 2025
Drug seizures in the province of León show a markedly unequal pattern at the end of 2025, according to information from leonoticias.com based on data from the Annual Statistics on Drugs compiled by the Centre for Intelligence against Terrorism and Organised Crime (CITCO), which falls under the Ministry of the Interior.
The most striking figure is that of marijuana: seizures reached 77.5 kilos last year, a record figure that represents 35% of all product seized in Castilla y León and an increase of 1,247% compared to 2024. In addition, cannabis plants seized rose by 8.47% to 896 grams, and cannabis pollen climbed by 485% to 704 grams.
Crystal MDMA and other substances show sharp increases
Crystal MDMA recorded an increase of 1,343%, with 231 units seized representing 18% of the total seized in the autonomous community. LSD rose by 1,800% to 19 units, ketamine in solid or powder form rose by 3,475% to 4.9 grams, and methamphetamine in powder or rock form totalled 3.4 grams seized. A further 150 grams of other cannabis products were also recorded.
Hashish and cocaine decline sharply
Hashish and cocaine, the second and third most seized drugs in the province after marijuana, moved in the opposite direction. Hashish seizures totalled 10.5 kilos, down 36% from 2024. Cocaine fell by 74%, with 3,580 kilos seized.
MDMA ecstasy plummeted by 92% to 30 units, heroin fell by 83% to 14 grams, whilst methamphetamine and amphetamine each recorded eight units and chlorazepam remained at five units.
52 arrests in 2025, 23% fewer than the previous year
Regarding arrests, CITCO recorded 52 throughout 2025 in the León province, 10% of the regional total, representing a fall of 23.53% compared to 2024. Charges also declined by 3.36%, down to 1,584, equivalent to 11.5% of the entire Castilla y León total.
The national picture: nearly 370 tonnes seized
Across the country, state security forces apprehended close to 370 tonnes of cocaine, hashish, marijuana and heroin during 2025. Hashish was again the main drug seized by weight, with 257,283 kilos, compared to 199,221 kilos in 2024. Despite the year-on-year increase, the figure falls short of records from previous years.
Cocaine seizures fell from 123,842 kilos in 2024 to 77,010 kilos in 2025, a reduction of 37.82%. The Ministry of the Interior attributes this decline to police pressure on large-scale drug trafficking networks, especially on Atlantic maritime routes, and includes operations on merchant vessels, speedboats and containers in Spanish ports.
Marijuana seized at national level also declined, from 42,294 kilos in 2024 to 35,458 kilos in 2025, a 16.16% decrease. Heroin seizures remained virtually stable, with 129.8 kilos, an increase of 0.78%.
Cannabis: nearly 875,000 plants seized, with Andalusia leading
To these figures should be added the 875,061 cannabis plants seized in 2025, down 17.72% from the 1,063,553 of 2024. Andalusia accounted for 461,796 plants, more than half the national total, followed by the Valencian Community with 87,476 and Catalonia with 82,442.
The Interior ministry emphasises that criminal organisations have alternated traditional hashish landings on beaches with the use of lorries and other vehicles in response to controls deployed on the coast. The department recalls among the measures adopted the prohibition of so-called "drug speedboats" in 2018 and the criminalisation of "petaqueo", incorporated into the Penal Code since last April.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)