Finding 87 kilos of hashish hidden in a car on the second day of training with the Mossos d'Esquadra

The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) seized 87 kilograms of hashish in the early hours of July 3rd during a random raid on a routine checkpoint in Barcelona. "An operation of that magnitude is not at all common in Gràcia," says Carla, a policewoman at the police station in this district. It was her second day of training and, along with a colleague, they decided to chase a car that had tried to evade the police operation. Inside, they recovered 17 packages valued at €165,000 on the black market. The discovery has become the hashish intervention The biggest incident in Barcelona this year.

"We were carrying out a routine checkpoint near exit 6 of the Ronda de Dalt when we saw a car stop, turn tail, and flee down Calle Collserola," explains the officer. This set off the alarm, and the officers pursued it in the police vehicle. "We didn't know why it wanted to evade the checkpoint," she says, explaining that these cases usually involve people who have been drinking or taking other substances and don't want to be fined. The waitress admits that she never imagined that there could be 87 kilograms of hashish in the vehicle.

They pretended to be tourists

While they were closely following them, the unexpected happened: the fleeing vehicle turned around, and they were able to intercept it. Two individuals got out. According to the waitress, "they were calm"—she believes it may not have been the first time they'd been stopped—and "were pretending to be tourists." "They said they'd gotten lost using Google Maps," she adds. From there, the interrogation began.

Their identification indicated they were Italian. "They couldn't tell us exactly what they were doing there, where they were going, or where they were staying. Furthermore, they responded evasively to every question we asked them," he recalls. Although they had no criminal record in Spain, the officer says this is not synonymous with security. "You don't know if they have it in other countries; they're unknown people, and you don't know how they might act."

Faced with this situation, they brought in the rest of the checkpoint officers to proceed with the search of the car. According to him, the vehicle was somewhat peculiar: "A BMW 4 Series Cabrio registered in Germany, and the chassis number was covered up," he explains. Furthermore, the detainees said it was a vehicle of leasing (a type of rental that opens the door to buying the product at the end of the contract). After searching it for fifteen minutes, the Mossos d'Esquadra found nothing unusual. They weren't convinced, however, that they were carrying an empty suitcase.

Finally, they saw that there was a slot in the back and identified a hidden compartment—a small cove, in police jargon—through which they could see some plastic packages. Although the drivers initially refused to explain what was inside, they finally admitted it was hashish. In total, 87 kilograms spread across seventeen packages. Police sources confirm that When such large amounts are seized, it is usually the result of investigations, not random operations. "Now I feel more prepared if I encounter similar situations, and that encourages me to keep working hard, since you learn from everything," says Carla.

Coordination of personnel

"Although the operation was complicated and some veteran guerrilla comrades hadn't experienced similar situations, there was good teamwork," explains Carla, who describes the operation as "picture-perfect." "You don't expect to find yourself in situations like this on your second day of training, but that's real life. There's a lot of work behind it, and it's very important to have people who are well-coordinated and eager to work. When you encounter situations like this, you know when you'll start, but not when you'll finish. That day, for example, we left five hours late, but it was satisfactory," she concluded.

Carla, who has been training as a waitress for two years, is in the final stages of preparation to join the Catalan police force. Once she finishes her training, she explains that what most interests her is working in the central sexual assault unit, although she says that "everything remains to be seen." As for the operation in which she participated, the regional public health investigation unit in Barcelona has opened an investigation to clarify all the details. According to police sources, one hypothesis being considered is that the detainees wanted to buy the drugs in Barcelona and leave.