Record Seizure Unravels a Web of Narco-Trafficking and Police Corruption
In a major blow to organized crime, Spanish authorities are currently investigating a massive cocaine seizure that is exposing a complex network of drug trafficking and alleged police corruption. The case, which revolves around container TCLU1210545, is revealing how drug cartels are operating with impunity, utilizing sophisticated methods to import narcotics and evade law enforcement.
The Frustrated Fruit Importer: A Smokescreen?
The investigation began with an irate email sent to customs officials on October 17, 2024. Vilma Janet Águila, owner of Abadix Fruits, an Alicante-based company purportedly specializing in fruit imports from South America, complained bitterly about delays in the port. «It cannot be that, on average, containers are in the port for 2-3-4 weeks from arrival. We are talking about perishable fruit (NOT NAILS OR SCREWS) [sic]. When the fruit arrives to our clients so ripe, they don’t pay us what was agreed, as the quality does not correspond to what was negotiated,» she wrote, according to El País (J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025). In the email, Águila feigned outrage and announced her refusal to collect the cargo from container TCLU1210545, which had arrived in Algeciras a few days earlier, claiming, «WE CAN’T STAND THIS SITUATION ANY LONGER!»
However, as the National Police are now discovering, the bananas inside the container were likely the least of Águila and her partner, José Miguel Berenguer’s concerns. Investigators believe that the email was a calculated attempt to distance themselves from the true cargo hidden amongst the fruit: a staggering 13 tons of cocaine, the largest seizure of its kind in Spanish history. As one agent reportedly commented during the counting of packages: «It’s coming out to bore.»
Tracing the Network: From Fruit Company to Alleged Kingpin
The investigation is currently piecing together the puzzle, tracing the connections from Abadix Fruits to Ignacio Torán, a Spanish national with a long history of drug trafficking. Investigators are now positioning Torán as being at the apex of a group dedicated to importing cocaine from South America within Spain, according to El País (J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025).
Adding another layer of complexity, Torán allegedly had a high-ranking police official in his service: Óscar Sánchez, the head of the Economic and Fiscal Crime Unit (UDEF) of the National Police, who was arrested in November. Authorities seized close to €20 million from his office and home, some of it hidden within the walls.
The Modus Operandi: Corruption and Sophistication
The Algeciras seizure, estimated to be worth over €700 million on the market, is underscoring the roles played by each suspect and the immense sums of money involved. The container originated from the Ecuadorian company Quality-Ecuatoriana S. A. and was destined for Abadix Fruits. Police reports indicate that Abadix Fruits, fronted by Águila and Berenguer, was acting under Torán's orders, who was the true mastermind behind the drug shipment. It is being alleged that the network was supported by Óscar Sánchez, who used his position to access police databases, entering keywords to identify if any of his «protected» individuals were under investigation (El País, J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025).
According to Internal Affairs, after the container was intercepted, Sánchez allegedly tipped off the gang, facilitating the escape of Águila and Berenguer. Investigations reveal that the chief inspector was informed of the container's interception at 4:00 PM, shortly after it was opened, as evidenced by two videos of the seized merchandise found on his mobile phone.
How Sánchez Protected the Organization
Sánchez's method for protecting the organization members involved entering names, phone numbers, and container numbers into police databases. If another investigation group also entered them into the system, the chief inspector would receive an alert and could inform his proteges. Sánchez had registered the 13-ton container on October 7, a week before its opening (El País, J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025).
In his conversation with his sub-inspector, he was particularly interested in whether the opened container was the one destined for Abadix in Alicante. Subordinate and chief repeatedly commented that they were not informed that the container was going to be inspected, as the initiative for the cargo analysis had come from Customs Surveillance. For this reason, it had escaped their control.
Algeciras: A Key Entry Point
The case highlights a worrying trend: the increasing use of Spanish ports as entry points for cocaine. Prosecutors have warned that seizures have multiplied, with Spain becoming the third-largest European recipient of this drug. The port of Guayaquil in Ecuador is identified as a key departure point for cocaine heading to Europe, while Algeciras, along with Valencia and Barcelona, are flagged as primary entry points. According to El País (J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025), the Torán-led gang had previously used the port of Algeciras, where 1.6 tons of cocaine were intercepted in May 2021, hidden in a pineapple container belonging to Trapani Export. José Luis López Rodrigo, working under Torán's orders, was linked to this shipment, along with Alejandro Salgado, alias «El Tigre,» a Spanish drug trafficker based in Dubai.
Where are they now?
The Audiencia Nacional overturned Ignacio Torán’s provisional prison sentence because the magistrate didn't provide his lawyer with the essential elements of the accusations against him, violating his rights.
Berenguer and Águila remained fugitives until they surrendered to the police this March (El País, J. J. Gálvez, Patricia Peiró & Rodrigo Silva, 2025).
