The Mossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's regional police force, have arrested 11 people in an investigation into an alleged arms-trafficking group operating from Cubelles, in the Garraf area. The operation concluded on 3 June, following an inquiry that began after officers found eight altered semi-automatic weapons in a vehicle in December 2023.

For residents of Cubelles and nearby Vilanova i la Geltrú, the case concerns an alleged network that police say combined firearms trafficking with cannabis production. Police identified a secluded house in Cubelles as the group's operational base and found a large marijuana plantation in a warehouse in Vilanova i la Geltrú, according to reporting by Ara.

Eight altered weapons found in December 2023

The investigation began on 7 December 2023, when two officers stopped a vehicle carrying eight semi-automatic weapons whose serial numbers had been removed, Ara reported.

Ballistics specialists found that the guns were blank-firing weapons which had been modified to fire live ammunition. Investigators said the firearms had come from France rather than being made in Catalonia.

“They were not weapons manufactured in Catalonia, they came from France,” said Inspector Isard Hidalgo, head of the Mossos Criminal Investigation Area in Barcelona, at a press conference.

Police allege weapons were bought in Paris

Investigators allege that the group bought weapons in Paris and brought them to Catalonia for resale. The Mossos' inquiry later identified the Cubelles property and the Vilanova i la Geltrú warehouse, where police said cannabis was produced for transport to France.

  • The initial vehicle stop took place on 7 December 2023.
  • Police found eight allegedly modified semi-automatic weapons in that vehicle.
  • The Mossos made 11 arrests when the operation ended on 3 June.

The reported arrests followed an investigation in which firearms led police to the alleged cannabis operation, rather than the more usual sequence of drug inquiries leading to weapons discoveries.

Primary sources: europol.europa.eu. Reported by Source Text Link, Redacción, Cesc Maideu, Pere Roca Soler, europapress.es, Guillem RS, Manon Demerie, barna.news, betevé.

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