The Civil Guard and the Tax Agency have arrested 20 people and seized 23 tonnes of tobacco leaf as part of operation 'Principito'/'Tajuli'. The main warehouse was in Fuenlabrada, from where the goods were distributed across the country.
The Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency have dealt a heavy blow to tobacco smuggling in Spain by dismantling an organisation operating from the Madrid town of Fuenlabrada. In total, 20 people have been arrested and 23,000 kilos of tobacco leaf and 38,000 packets have been seized, along with materials for its production and distribution.
The operation, dubbed 'Principito'/'Tajuli', has been carried out in two phases. The first, executed in June 2025, included 17 searches in homes and premises in various locations in Ciudad Real (Puertollano, Almodóvar del Campo, Villamayor de Calatrava, Bolaños, Almagro and Pozuelo de Calatrava) and in Fuenlabrada. It was precisely during the search in this Madrid locality that agents located the majority of the seized tobacco, indicating that Fuenlabrada was the logistical centre from which the goods were distributed to different points across the country.
In that first phase, 18 arrests were made, including the leader of the organisation, who has already been placed in preventive custody. In addition to the tobacco, agents seized 90,000 euros in cash, cartridges, a pistol, a rifle, bladed weapons and high-end watches. They also confiscated presses, scales, bags and cartons with official brands, used to cut, package and prepare the product for illegal sale.
The second phase of the operation took place in mid-July 2026, with four new searches in Navalcarnero and Aranjuez (both in Madrid), as well as in Sagunto (Valencia) and Almenara (Castellón). This time, investigators focused on logistics, storage and transportation. As a result, two additional arrests were made and three people are under investigation.
Of the 20 arrested, ten have already been brought before the Court of First Instance of Puertollano (Ciudad Real), which has ordered provisional detention without bail for all of them. They are charged with crimes of smuggling, money laundering, against the Public Treasury, against public health and belonging to a criminal organisation.
The investigation, which began in early 2025, has been conducted jointly by the EDOA of the Organic Judicial Police Unit of the Civil Guard of Ciudad Real and the Operational Unit of Ciudad Real of Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency. The searches were carried out with the support of the USECIC and the Regional Area of Castilla-La Mancha of Customs Surveillance.
For the residents of Fuenlabrada and the Madrid municipalities where the searches were conducted, this operation represents the elimination of a hub of illegal activity that, according to authorities, could have been operating for months. The Civil Guard does not rule out further actions related to this same network.
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