Drug trafficking in Andalusia: war weapons, cocaine and narco-boats threaten social peace
The Special Anti-Drug Prosecution warns that organised crime is undermining social peace in Spain, with Andalusia as the epicentre of drug trafficking and armed violence.
Anti-Drug Prosecution alerts: Andalusia, epicentre of drug trafficking in Spain
According to confilegal.com, the Special Anti-Drug Prosecution has launched one of its most forceful warnings about the drug trafficking situation in Spain. The Annual Report of the General State Prosecution for 2025 classifies drug trafficking as "the greatest threat from the sphere of organised crime and serious delinquency" and considers it "essential and urgent" to strengthen material, human and legal resources to address "a problem that is already undermining the foundations of social peace".
Andalusia occupies the centre of the diagnosis. The geographical and social characteristics of the region favour a phenomenon that no longer concentrates exclusively on the Strait of Gibraltar. High-speed vessels operate increasingly from Huelva, Almería and Málaga, whilst the presence of cocaine, weapons and international criminal organisations grows.
War weapons in the hands of drug traffickers
One of the changes most concerning to Andalusian anti-drug prosecutors is the proliferation of firearms and war weapons. Investigations detect professionalised groups with members from the Balkans and Ukraine, some specialised in so-called "vuelcos": drug thefts between criminal organisations that result in violent clashes.
In Cádiz, 24 proceedings were initiated for weapon possession. In various operations, four AK-47 rifles were seized in Jerez and Sanlúcar; two automatic weapons, three submachine guns and three handguns in Barbate; and one Zastava M70 rifle, five handguns and two shotguns in Chiclana.
In Almería, 78 firearms were seized, several submachine guns and even a rocket launcher.
Violence also reached Seville. In November, during an operation against hashish trafficking in which 4,500 kilos were seized, five drug traffickers took refuge in a warehouse on Isla Mayor and fired at the National Police with AK-47 rifles. One of the officers was seriously wounded despite wearing a bulletproof vest. The Prosecution expressly warns that "violence and the loss of respect for the principle of authority is becoming increasingly visible".
Proceedings for drugs: decrease overall, but increase in key areas
In 2025, 4,242 preliminary proceedings were initiated in Andalusia for drug trafficking, compared with 5,276 in 2024. The overall reduction does not imply that the problem is receding. In numerous provinces, proceedings are increasing, especially those related to substances causing serious damage to health. In Cádiz they increased by 118%, in the Campo de Gibraltar by 59% and in Jerez by 37.9%.
The Prosecution attributes much of this increase to a relevant change: narco-boats are no longer used solely to transport hashish. Cocaine is gaining weight in Cádiz, Seville and Huelva, and in addition to its traditional entry via containers through Algeciras, transportation in semi-rigid vessels from ships in international waters is now occurring. In the Guadalquivir estuary, cocaine shipments of 1,040 and 1,400 kilos were seized, and in Barbate others of 220 and 415 kilos.
Huelva and Almería, expanding territories
Hashish remains the predominant commodity. Organisations employ increasingly sophisticated techniques, including large trailers with hollow beams as hidden compartments, with seizures of up to 23 tonnes.
Huelva experienced one of the largest increases of the year. In 2025, 63,301 kilos of hashish were seized, compared with 20,975 the previous year: an increase of 201.8%. Proceedings for drug trafficking increased by nearly 30%, reaching 214 new cases, which forced the specialised section of the Huelva Prosecution to be reinforced with a third prosecutor.
Almería similarly reflects the displacement of routes towards territories where organisations expect to find less police pressure. Cocaine seized rose from 324 to 1,255 kilos, an increase of 287%, whilst cannabis resin exceeded 18 tonnes, compared with approximately four the previous year, an increase of 350%.
In Granada, the expansion of "indoor" cannabis cultivation persists. The Prosecution detects a growing presence of foreign organisations—Albanian, Lithuanian or Dutch, among others—and alerts to cases in which these structures violently evict residents from their homes.
"Petaqueo": the fuel that powers narco-boats
The logistics of Andalusian drug trafficking rest on two key elements: narco-boats and fuel supply. The so-called "petaqueo" consists of transporting and storing large quantities of petrol intended to keep these vessels operational.
In Cádiz alone, 262,000 litres of fuel were seized, 80% more than in 2024. Eighty-two proceedings were initiated for possession of flammable substances and 22 provisional detentions were ordered. In Huelva, 344,308 litres were reached, more than double the previous year, with 38 proceedings initiated.
Organic Law 1/2026, of 8 April, has introduced specific regulation of these conduct in article 568.2 of the Criminal Code.
Málaga: financial sophistication and money laundering
In Málaga and Marbella, drug trafficking presents another profile. The Prosecution describes there a criminality "more sophisticated and less evident" than in Cádiz or Huelva, "but no less dangerous". Large criminal organisations establish themselves in the province and combine various illicit traffics with money laundering of their profits through business networks.
This growth again highlights one of the major concerns of the Anti-Drug Prosecution: the lack of sufficient resources to confront criminal organisations that are, according to the report, increasingly large, violent, professionalised and with greater economic and technological resources.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz