Beyond Sant Esteve: the other towns where tons of illegal garbage from France are dumped

BarcelonaThe figure of 46,000 tons of waste from France illegally dumped in Catalonia that came to light this Monday could end up being anecdotal compared to the total number of kilos of garbage that may be uncovered when the investigation is over, according to sources close to the case. The dumps of the so-called Franger case, which the Civil Guard has explained so far, mainly affected the municipality of Sant Esteve Sesrovires, in Baix Llobregat. However, sources close to the investigation consulted by ARA add Rubí (Vallès Occidental), Riba-roja d'Ebre (Ribera d'Ebre) and Pujalt (Anoia) to the provisional list of affected municipalities.

The investigation remains open, and the secrecy surrounding it has meant that even the affected municipalities are unaware of the facts: "We have tried to find out something, and in the end, everyone refers us to the fact that it is under investigation. When we have information, we can decide; now we don't know what to do," says the mayor of Pujalt, Pere Masana, in conversation with ARA.

"It's unbelievable," says Masana. He assures that until the investigation by the Civil Guard, Europol, and the French Gendarmerie came to light, they were unaware of this network dedicated to the illegal trafficking of waste that also affects the municipality he governs. He anticipates that the City Council will request to be joined as a private prosecutor in the case, and explains that they are waiting to know the details of the impact to be able to remove any necessary materials.

The Pujalt landfill is about 200 meters from the urban center of La Guàrdia Pilosa, where an association has denounced what they consider a "disproportionate expansion" of the landfill, which they are demanding be permanently closed.In fact, it has been stopped for about three months following the complaint by this association for having made "substantial modifications" without changing the license as required, explains Francesc Rossell, a member of Salvem la Guàrdia Pilosa.Rossell recalls that in 2025 the owners of this landfill and others in Catalonia were arrested following an investigation by the Civil Guard for illegal trafficking of waste, on that occasion from Italy, which were dumped in the landfills in 2021.

One year after this,in 2022, the investigation that now occupies the Civil Guard and the French police began. The investigation reached its peak hours before this year's Sant Joan's Eve. On June 23, more than a hundred agents were deployed in southeastern France and Catalonia, including units specialized in nature protection, criminal investigation, taxation, borders, and citizen security. The searches continued the next day.

In the Barcelona demarcation, three searches were carried out in homes and businesses in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Molins de Rei, and Sant Esteve Sesrovires, and another in a home in the Girona demarcation. ARA has contacted the company in Molins de Rei where the Guardia Civil carried out a search on June 23. An employee explains that from the first moment they realized it was not a routine inspection, because the number of agents who went there was exceptional. She adds that they were not given any explanation about the reason for the search, they were only shown "a paper stating that it was under summary secrecy and that they could not say anything".

As in some of the affected municipalities, this company still knows no details of the case. None of the workers or managers were arrested, and the company has not received any sanctions either. The same worker contacted by ARA assures that the owner, a 39-year-old man, continues to work normally although he has noticed "that some orders have been canceled".

As Pujalt and as in this company from Molins de Rei, they also had no news of the investigation in Riba-roja d'Ebre, another municipality unknowingly affected by this international network. The mayor, Miquel Cervelló, dismisses the possibility of fraudulent dumping in the municipality, and assures that the landfill "is in the open air and you can see what the trucks unload".

Denunciation of Sant Esteve Sesrovires

On the other hand, the Sant Esteve Sesrovires City Council already issued a statement on Monday, and this Tuesday the mayoress, Roser Brosed, also did so with a video she shared on social networks. According to Brosed, the council detected uncontrolled or unauthorized dumping on two plots "many months ago". For all these reasons, two proceedings were opened which ended with a fine of over 800,000 euros. The City Council also requested that the state of the land be restored and reported the case to the Environmental Prosecutor's Office and the courts of Martorell. As Brosed explains, "a few weeks ago" during an inspection with the Civil Guard, it was detected that waste had also been dumped on the same plots without a license to do so. Now the council is working to remove the contaminants and will request to be involved as a private prosecution.

The investigation into the Franger case dates back to 2022. The Civil Guard conducted inspections at a waste plant that was dumping materials from contaminated areas of major construction works in Barcelona onto agricultural land. Later, they detected the arrival of waste from France. The investigation has uncovered an organization that used false documentation to bring municipal and industrial waste from France into Spain to bury it and dispose of it without any precautions. The four arrested are two men aged 39 and 70, of Spanish and French nationality, and two women aged 62 and 66, of Spanish and Italian nationality.

Sources from the Catalan Waste Agency have recalled that they are collaborating with the security forces working on the case, and allege that with the investigation open, they cannot provide further details of the case.