Carlos Tejada dies, anti-drugs prosecutor in Marbella who fought the Mocro Maffia
The deputy prosecutor of the Special Anti-Drugs Prosecution in Marbella died suddenly on 30 May at the age of 58. Tejada was known for his work against drug trafficking on the Costa del Sol.
Anti-drugs prosecutor who confronted the Mocro Maffia in Marbella dies at 58
Carlos Tejada Bañales, deputy prosecutor of the Special Anti-Drugs Prosecution in Marbella, died suddenly on 30 May 2026 in Marbella, according to eldebate.com. He was 58 years old and had been born in Portugalete on 11 August 1967.
Tejada worked as a prosecutor from 1996, with a career that included two years as a judge in Girona and eight years posted to the Juvenile Prosecution Service in Barcelona. In 2006 he requested a transfer to the Marbella Prosecution Service, where he was appointed deputy prosecutor of the anti-drugs unit in 2022.
One of the most notable episodes of his career took place in April 2024, when the Provincial Court of Málaga ordered the release of Karim Bouyakhrichan, identified as the alleged leader of the so-called "Mocro Maffia", considered one of the most dangerous and violent criminal organisations in Europe. The group specialises in international trafficking of cocaine and synthetic drugs, with operations centred in the Netherlands and Belgium, and branches in several points across the continent, including the Costa del Sol.
Tejada, author of the report opposing Bouyakhrichan's release, publicly responded to the judicial decision: "What has happened is concerning. It is about putting in place means to prevent it from happening again," he stated. The demand for more resources was, according to those who knew him, one of his most constant demands.
Despite the limitations of resources, upon taking office in 2022 he promoted coordination of the three units with responsibility for combating drug trafficking: the Drug and Organised Crime Unit (Udyco), the Anti-Drug Organised Crime Team (Edoa) and the Organised Crime Response Group (Greco). The initiative achieved some advances, although Tejada himself acknowledged in an interview with El País that achieving results was "difficult". "It is essential to pursue drug seizures, but above all the money. That is where it hurts them," he emphasised.
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)