A SERVING Guardia Civil officer has been arrested in southern Spain on suspicion of working for an international drug trafficking network linked to one of Europe’s most powerful cocaine smuggling organisations.
The individual charged, nicknamed ‘Cobe Bryant’ after the late basketball legend, is now accused of switching teams—and playing for an international cocaine cartel.
The officer was stationed with the Maritime Service in Cadiz, and investigators say €200,000 in cash was discovered hidden in a storage unit connected to him.
The case was led by Spain’s Central Unit for Drugs and Organised Crime (UDYCO), a specialist police team focused on major drug trafficking cases across the country.
The arrest comes as part of a major joint operation by the Guardia Civil, National Police and Spain’s Tax Agency, which dismantled three criminal organisations, including the Balkan cartel, operating along the country’s southern coastline.
The powerful Balkan organised crime network has long been working with suppliers in Colombia and Spanish mafias based in the Costa del Sol triangle (between Morocco, the Cadiz coast and the Costa del Sol) to traffic drugs wholesale into Europe.
Not a single gang, but instead a loose network of criminal groups – the Balkan cartel has attempted to move huge quantities of cocaine into Europe, resulting in some of the largest drug busts in recent memory.
In the most recent drug bust, UDYCO seized more than 2,475 kilos of cocaine, along with over €166,000 in cash, jewellery, and luxury watches valued at around €100,000, emphasising the scale of the operation that resulted in the arrest of 30 suspects.
The wider investigation revealed a highly sophisticated smuggling operation in which cocaine was moved abroad on container ships from Columbia, before being pulled off at sea using swimmers, speedboats and military-style techniques.
Traffickers allegedly used something called ‘climber’ and ‘drop-off’ methods, where they cut off vessels before they reached the Strait of Gibraltar—highlighting why access to inside law enforcement was so valuable.
According to investigators, the officer used his position to help traffickers avoid patrols and checkpoints in the Strait of Gibraltar to the Guadalquivir river—one of Europe’s busiest gateways for drug smuggling.
The officer’s alleged collaboration with the traffickers allowed the organization to operate more safely and gain the upper hand over rival gangs.
The investigation began back in October 2024, following the seizure of 88 kilos of cocaine in Mijas on the Costa del Sol, which gradually exposed the wider international network.
The arrested officer remains in custody as authorities continue to review the evidence against him.
The case has sent shockwaves through Spanish law enforcement and underlines the lengths criminal groups will go to corrupt officials and protect Europe’s drug routes.
READ MORE: WATCH: Balkan hitman arrested after four-year international manhunt ends in Spain’s Barcelona
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction reported a record of 303 tonnes of cocaine being seized by EU member states in 2021, with Spain accounting for 75%, along with Belgium and the Netherlands. Police sources believe Spain has doubled the amount of cocaine seizures in recent years, with its location as a strategic point of entry for bringing drugs into Europe.
The sharp jump in drug trafficking cases across Spain reflects the extraordinary pressure on police and courts alike, and how cocaine smuggling continues to surge.
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