A Popeye statue exposes the cartel behind Europe's largest methamphetamine operation

BarcelonaAfter escaping twice from Mexican prisons, El Chapo Guzmán, considered the leader of the feared Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited to the United States in 2017, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment. He is now incarcerated in a maximum-security prison in Colorado. However, his capture did not mark the end of the Sinaloa Cartel. Far from it, it is considered one of the main producers of synthetic drugs, including the dangerous fentanyl, as the FBI has indicated in several reports, the most recent last year. Furthermore, the Sinaloa Cartel, also known as the Blood Alliance, has attempted to expand beyond Mexico's borders and has set its sights on Spain as a key point in drug trafficking routes. A new operation by the Spanish National Police exemplifies this.

Spanish police have arrested nine people and dismantled a gang specializing in methamphetamine trafficking. In fact, the police believe they have dismantled the main supply point to Europe for this drug, which has strong psychoactive effects. It all started in 2024, when police seized up to 1,800 kilograms of methamphetamine in Alicante. That drug belonged to the Sinaloa Cartel, and five arrests were made. However, investigators did not completely decapitate the organization, and this second operation, made public this week, has led to the arrest of some individuals who managed to escape and were trying to restart their involvement in drug trafficking from Mexico and Spain.

The new attempt to smuggle drugs into Spain used an unusual hiding place. A five-foot-tall statue of Popeye—the famous spinach-eating comic strip character—arrived at the port of Tenerife. It was covered in shiny plastic, mostly gold, which was merely a distraction to prevent anyone from noticing the base. Hidden in this section were 40 kilograms of methamphetamine. The Popeye statue was the starting point of the new operation, which has yielded surprises such as a bunker filled with cash in an industrial building and more drugs hidden in marble.

Bunker in a warehouse and contaminated marble

Following the discovery, one of the first actions taken by the police was to locate a member of the Sinaloa Cartel hiding in an apartment in the Malasaña neighborhood of Madrid. Why was he hiding? He had participated in the Alicante drug deal and was being paid for his silence, for not betraying anyone. He was paid 2,500 euros a month for his silence. The investigation also led the police to a marble businessman who was using his entirely legal company to import marble from Mexico concealed with drugs. It had been a lucrative business, as the businessman had built a bunker beneath one of his industrial buildings where he kept three million euros.

But the ringleader wasn't in Mexico or Spain. He was a man of Spanish origin living in Dubai who, according to the police, coordinated the drug shipments. He frequently traveled to Mexico. In fact, it's not surprising that drug traffickers are choosing the Arabian Peninsula as a hideout, a trend that is on the rise.

Movement in Finland

The suspects made five attempts to smuggle drugs in just a year and a half, once hidden among medical supplies. They are also accused of sending 38 kilograms of marijuana to Finland. This is also representative of the new generation of criminals: they profit from all possible drugs, leaving behind the years when each clan specialized in a specific substance. In total, the police carried out searches at seven addresses in Valencia (2), Alicante (3), Málaga (1), and Madrid (1). They also seized seven luxury watches and various types of ammunition.

That the police have detected the tentacles of Mexican cartels in Spain is nothing new. A year ago A kidnapping that ended in murder in Tarragona led the Mossos d'Esquadra to a cell of the Sinaloa CartelAnd just over three months ago, the National Police dismantled a group linked to Jalisco New Generation, the second largest cartel in Mexico.