National Police riot officers activated by the Anti-Terrorist Prevention Plan at the Northern Barcelona station have apprehended a mule and their escort while they were transporting ten kilos of highly pure heroin concealed in the false bottom of a suitcase.
As reported on Monday by the National Police in a press release, the pair of detainees, now in preventive custody by court order, comprises the mule who carried the narcotics and another individual who served as an escort, both of whom reside in Tenerife.
According to the authorities, the role of the escorts accompanying the mules serves a dual purpose: first, to prevent the transporter from escaping or disposing of the load and second, to ensure the drug reaches its intended destination.
In fact, police state that escorts are typically distinguished members of drug trafficking networks who feign travel on the same train, bus, or plane, without any apparent connection to the mule.
The incident took place last Monday, March 24, when riot police from the National Police, stationed at the North Barcelona station as part of the anti-terrorism initiative, identified a passenger arriving from Düsseldorf (Germany).
The officers noted that the man, a resident of Tenerife, had taken numerous trips between Africa and Spain, with stops in several Asian and European countries. When questioned regarding the purpose of these journeys, he became evasive and agitated.
The police then discovered that another passenger, also living in Tenerife, was travelling in the same carriage and had specifically flown from the Canary Islands to Düsseldorf only to return immediately to Spain by bus.
Due to this coincidence, the officers interviewed both suspects separately, during which they exhibited heightened nervousness and provided inconsistent responses.
Consequently, the police searched their belongings and uncovered seven plastic-wrapped yellow packages in the false bottom of one of the suitcases, verifying that they contained 10.3 kilos of highly pure heroin. Both individuals were subsequently arrested and remanded in custody by court order.
Following these arrests, the police have commenced a joint investigation with their counterparts in Germany and France.
