SEVERAL military-grade assault rifles were discovered inside a Porsche Cayenne after its occupants fled from police during a motorway chase in Catalunya.
The incident unfolded at around 2am on the AP-7 near Salvador Dali’s home town of Figueres, when Mossos d’Esquadra officers (Catalan police) attempted to stop the vehicle during a routine check, according to El Caso.
Instead of stopping, the Porsche accelerated away with between three and four people reportedly inside.
The suspects later ditched the luxury SUV and escaped on foot before getting into a second vehicle, believed to be a Citroen C4, and disappearing.
When officers searched the abandoned Porsche, they uncovered 12 AK-74 assault rifles.
The AK-74 is closely related to the infamous AK-47, although it is lighter and designed for shorter-range firing.
The vehicle had been travelling south towards Barcelona, but no arrests have yet been made and at the moment, it is not known whether the men who escaped were carrying other weapons.
Investigators are now working to determine where the weapons came from, whether they were real and fully operational.
The case has been taken over by the Mossos’ Criminal Investigation Division (DIC), which is examining possible links to organised drug trafficking networks or illegal firearms suppliers operating in Spain.
The seizure comes amid growing concern over the rise of international mafia groups operating in Catalunya.
Recent violence linked to organised crime has included the daylight execution of a member of the Montenegro-based Kotor clan in Barcelona, as well as a shooting in Lloret de Mar last week that left another suspected gang member injured.
Senior Mossos officials have also warned that organised criminal groups are becoming more dangerous and increasingly well armed.
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