Overview
- Senior figures from the Audiencia Nacional, the anti‑drug prosecutor’s office and national police warned that traffickers are moving larger volumes, introducing harsher substances and expanding distribution channels.
- The head of Spain’s central narcotics brigade reported firearms now appear in roughly nine out of ten operations, a stark rise from one in ten previously.
- Anti‑drug prosecutor Luis María Uriarte urged more forceful options such as disabling narco boat engines from helicopters, while rejecting lethal U.S.-style tactics and drawing legal caution from veteran magistrates.
- Speakers pressed to prioritize asset seizures, citing short prison stays and gaps in criminal procedure, and flagged staffing and resource strains tied to current justice‑system rules.
- Officials noted regional contrasts, with Galicia dominated by a few local mafias and the south showing greater violence, and they pointed to recent international interceptions near Madeira as both warning and model.