We’re used to hearing how the Guardia Civil or Policía Nacional bust drug rings, but ones dealing in arms in the province is another thing completely.
This time it came with the help of the USA and Romania and concluded with nine arrests, a further six under investigation in a police operation that not only took place in Granada, but Alicante, Guipúzcoa, Madrid, Ciudad Real, Barcelona and Murcia, also.
The gang specialised in importing firearms designed only to fire blanks, which are easily converted into standard firearms for live ammunition. These arms come from Eastern Europe and were converted in workshops in Alicante. Many of the purchasers in Spain, according to the police, have connections with criminal activity.
This police operation, named Treta, began mid 2019 when it was discovered that a Romanian man, resident in Alicante, was buying arms abroad and selling them in Spain via Internet. The suspect had been doing so for several years and was under investigation back in his home country for the same thing.
The gang also had false police ID, both for the Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional, as well as 31, blank, military ID cards. Also confiscated besides the weapons and ammunition was a bullet-proof vest with Policía Local markings.
(News: Granada, Andalucia)