Spanish national police and customs officers stand next to packages of cocaine found in a container from Ecuador during a police press conference at the port of Algeciras, southern Spain, 6 November 2024. Photo: Jorge Guerrero / AFP
Madrid. Spain – In a major investigation related to the largest cocaine seizure in Spanish history, Spanish law enforcement officials have arrested one of the former heads of the national police’s anti-fraud and money laundering unit. Police found 20 million euros in cash hidden in the walls and ceilings of Oscar Sanchez Gil’s house in Alcalá de Henares, The Guardian reports.
Sánchez Gil, who until recently held a key position in Madrid’s financial crime unit, was detained last week along with his partner, who also works for the police, and 15 other suspects, police sources said. When investigators searched his office, they found an additional €1 million hidden in two locked cabinets in banknotes of 50 to 500 euros.
The former official and his partner were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and complicity in a criminal organisation. After a hearing in a Madrid court, they were remanded in custody. According to Spanish media reports, the arrests are linked to the recent seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine that took place last month in the port of Algeciras in southern Spain. The drugs came from Ecuador’s Guayaquil, an important transit point for the drug trade, and were hidden among crates of bananas. Police claim that this operation was one of the largest in the world in terms of the amount of cocaine seized.
The cocaine shipment was destined for a Spanish importer who had been receiving large quantities of fruit from Ecuador for many years. After the container was confiscated, police searched several homes and offices in Madrid and Alicante, uncovering the importer’s connection to Sánchez Gil.
The El Mundo newspaper reports that police had long suspected Sanchez Gil and tapped his phone. According to investigators, he may have been working with drug traffickers for more than five years, helping them to avoid port controls and providing valuable information about inspections. Although Sánchez Gil did not lead a life of luxury, the huge amounts of cash found in his home led investigators to compare his residence to the hideout of Pablo Escobar, a notorious Colombian drug lord killed by police in 1993.
According to El Mundo, part of Sanchez Gil’s monetary assets were laundered through the purchase of cryptocurrencies and investments in a large fleet of private vehicles registered in the name of one of his relatives.
Spain is a key point of entry for drug trafficking to Europe due to its historical ties with former Latin American colonies such as Colombia and Peru – some of the world’s largest cocaine producers – and its proximity to Morocco, one of the leading suppliers of cannabis.
