TWO police officers were among 14 arrested across Spain for allegedly laundering drug money in a major scandal linked to a former anti-fraud chief.
Officers from the National Police’s Central Unit for Economic and Fiscal Crime (UDEF) swooped on the suspects during coordinated raids in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Guadalajara and Tarragona, authorities said.
The detainees are suspected of belonging to a network that laundered proceeds from cocaine trafficking. The investigation began in October 2024, following the seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine at Algeciras port.
Investigators have linked the network to Ignacio Toran, the alleged leader of an organisation which the former head of Madrid’s UDEF, Oscar Sanchez Gil, reportedly worked for.
Sanchez was arrested in 2024 amid allegations he used his position within the UDEF to pass sensitive information to a drug trafficking organisation and to protect operations linked to the importation of large cocaine shipments into Spain.
He is also alleged to have facilitated the entry into Spain of 39 containers carrying around 73 tonnes of drugs, with a value of more than €2.5 billion.
He again made headlines in May this year after police discovered he had concealed around €20 million inside the walls of his home and in hidden drawer compartments.
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