- The saddles’ padding was made of a fiber mixed with drugs to make detection more difficult.
- The estimated value of the seized narcotics is €600,000.
March 30, 2025 – The Civil Guard, as part of “Operation Equitem,” has seized 26 kg of cocaine cleverly concealed within the padding of six saddles. The illicit drugs have an estimated street value of €600,000. Additionally, four individuals have been arrested for drug-related offenses and for being part of a criminal organization.
The investigation began in November last year after authorities detected several cocaine shipments originating from Medellín, Colombia, and destined for the towns of Alcañiz and Valdealgorfa (Teruel, Spain).
Following extensive inquiries, officers tracked the shipments to El Prat Airport in Barcelona, where they discovered two packages containing six saddles with a significant amount of cocaine hidden inside.
The traffickers used an advanced concealment method, chemically treating the cocaine so that it blended with the saddles’ padding. Once the shipments arrived, they extracted the drug through chemical processes, purified it, and prepared it for distribution on the black market.
As a result of the operation, a total of five Spanish nationals were arrested in Alcañiz and Valdealgorfa, effectively dismantling the criminal organization.
The arrested individuals and case files have been handed over to the Court of Instruction No. 2 in Alcañiz, which has ordered their imprisonment.
The investigation was conducted by the EDOA (Organized Crime and Anti-Drug Team) of the Judicial Police Unit of the Teruel Command and the ROCA Team of the Alcañiz Company.
