The operation, named Iris 24, led to the arrest of two individuals who were part of the leadership of this organization dedicated to international drug trafficking. During the actions, which took place in the provinces of Murcia and Valencia, agents seized over twenty kilograms of marijuana buds, one kilogram of cocaine, and eighty grams of heroin, in addition to various objects used for their criminal activity.
Investigations began in 2024, when specialists from the Judicial Police and Fiscal and Borders in Murcia and Valencia coordinated to launch the operation. The detection of clues related to international drug trafficking via parcel delivery revealed the existence of a network with high criminal activity, focused on the acquisition and shipment of drugs from Spain to other countries in Europe.
The group acquired cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from other drug trafficking networks. Subsequently, they divided the drugs into packages ranging from one hundred grams to two kilograms, which were vacuum-sealed to prevent detection. These packages were hidden in false bottoms of home appliances such as juicers, inflators, or wine coolers, and other objects. Once concealed, the drugs were carefully packaged and sent to European countries via parcel services.
The Civil Guard highlighted the group's sophistication in concealing their identity when making shipments. One of the detainees usurped various identities to rent transport vehicles, while both used false Irish documentation, such as passports and driving licenses. Furthermore, they used false documentation and identities, continuously changed residences between Murcia, Alicante, Valencia, and Tarragona, and utilized shipping methods with fewer registration data requirements.
The operation involved collaboration with authorities from the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. Around twenty shipments of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana were detected, which were delivered at various parcel shipping points and intercepted by Civil Guard officers at Valencia Airport before leaving the country. In various phases of the operation, house searches and actions were carried out in the aforementioned provinces, seizing, in addition to the drugs, vacuum sealers, precision scales, and packaging tools.
The downfall of the group's leadership occurred at a checkpoint in Los Alcázares (Murcia), where the Local Police detected signs of falsified documentation from two occupants of a vehicle. Civil Guard specialists fully identified them as the key components of the group that had been under investigation for over two years. They were arrested for belonging to a criminal group, drug trafficking, and falsification of public documents. The driver was also charged with a crime against road safety for driving without a license. The main leader of the organization, with an extensive criminal record in Ireland, is among those arrested. The operation remains open, and further arrests are not ruled out.
