Leader of 'Os Fanchos' arrested with 1,410 kilos of cocaine in A Pobra do Caramiñal
The head of the Galician clan 'Os Fanchos' was arrested alongside a Croatian citizen and another Galician after supervising the unloading and safekeeping of the haul. All three have been remanded in custody.
Three detained after 1,410 kilos of cocaine seized in a 'depot' in A Pobra
The National Police arrested the leader of the Barbanza clan known as 'Os Fanchos' and two other individuals on Saturday after catching them moving 1,410 kilos of cocaine between two properties in A Pobra do Caramiñal, according to ABC. The operation, dubbed Operation Malladoira and carried out by the Special Response Group Against Organised Crime (GRECO), also resulted in the seizure of 100 grammes of heroin, cash and other items of interest to the investigation.
Initial information about the haul came through the DEA, the US anti-narcotics agency. Two vessels had introduced the shipment via a beach in A Pobra do Caramiñal, and GRECO launched the investigation on Thursday, 20 August. The evidence pointed from the outset to the 'Os Fanchos' clan, a historic Barbanza group, and in particular to its current leader, identified by the initials R. R. G.
Surveillance from Thursday
Agents began monitoring the movements of the main suspect from that same Thursday. In the early hours of Friday, at 6.55 a.m., they detected a first significant lead: a vehicle approached R. R. G.'s home in A Pobra and, minutes later, a person left the house with a rucksack on their shoulder and got into the car. Investigators also noted that the occupants were carrying out manoeuvres to avoid being followed.
Surveillance continued during the early hours of Saturday. During that period, R. R. G. and two other individuals made several trips between his home and a shed on his property located near O Conchido beach. GRECO Galicia agents, in collaboration with the Ribeira police station, observed the three men moving heavy bundles from the shed to another house in the same locality. Based on their characteristics and the way they were being handled, investigators concluded that the packages contained cocaine bricks.
The police operation, less than 24 hours after the unloading
It was then that agents decided to intervene. Along with the leader of 'Os Fanchos', a Croatian citizen and a resident of the A Coruña region were arrested. According to police sources, the Croatian was performing the role of 'notary', that is, controlling the merchandise until delivery to the final recipients, supposedly a Balkan organisation. The third detainee reportedly played a secondary role in the operation.
Investigators attribute to R. R. G. the coordination of the entire operation: he himself would have collected the drugs from a mother ship, introduced them onto the beach and been responsible for their safekeeping until the handover. The arrest took place just 24 hours after the initial unloading.
Following the arrests, the Police searched the main suspect's home, the shed and the third property to which the packages had been moved. In total, 1,410 kilos of cocaine, 100 grammes of heroin, cash and other objects considered of interest to the case were seized.
Remand in custody for the three accused
On Monday, the three detainees appeared before the Ribeira Court of First Instance in its capacity as the on-call judge. The Police attributed to them the alleged offences of membership of a criminal organisation and drug trafficking. The judge ordered remand in custody, without bail for all three, and charged all three with an offence against public health, as confirmed by the Superior Court of Justice of Galicia (TSXG).
The A Coruña coast, new focus of Galician drug trafficking
Investigators rule out, for the time being, that this haul is linked to the seizure of 1,617 kilos of cocaine registered days earlier in Muxía, also in A Coruña. However, the seizure in A Pobra confirms the commitment of organisations to the A Coruña coastline as an unloading point. According to the Annual Drugs Statistics corresponding to the 2025 balance, published recently, the province of A Coruña has surpassed that of Pontevedra in the volume of cocaine seized, in a context in which cocaine seizures in Galicia have multiplied by almost four, despite the decline recorded across Spain as a whole.
The operation also demonstrates the growing presence of Balkan organisations in Galicia, which typically operate in collaboration with local clans such as 'Os Fanchos'. In September of last year, also in A Pobra, 3,000 kilos of cocaine were seized that had arrived at the Galician coast aboard a narco-submarine. International cooperation—in this case through the DEA—once again proves to be a determining factor in dismantling these networks.
Source: ABC