Four held after cocaine stash and guns found in raids

Guardia Civil officers have broken up a suspected drug network in raids in the Jimena de la Frontera area, seizing cocaine, cash, firearms and bulletproof vests and detaining four people.

The operation, codenamed Winky, also left two others under investigation after searches at properties in Jimena and Secadero, where officers say the group had been storing and preparing drugs for local sale.

Months of surveillance

According to the Guardia Civil, the case began after investigators picked up signs of a co-ordinated network supplying different drug-selling points across the Campo de Gibraltar. Officers then carried out surveillance over several months, including discreet monitoring, follow-up checks and analysis of the suspects’ movements.

Those inquiries led them to several homes where, they say, there was a steady flow of people and vehicles consistent with drug storage and distribution.

Search warrants were later approved by the Court of Instruction number 3 in San Roque, allowing officers to move in on 8 November with support from other Guardia Civil specialist units.

Weapons and protective gear seized

During the searches, officers seized 3,465 grams of cocaine and €4,610 in cash, split into notes of different denominations. They also found five precision scales, tools used to cut and package drugs, and three mobile phones that are now being examined.

Most notably, the force said it recovered a .357 Magnum revolver, a 12-bore pump-action shotgun and two bulletproof vests with ballistic panels.

The suspects are being investigated for offences against public health, membership of a criminal organisation and illegal possession of weapons. The Guardia Civil said the operation was a blow to a structure that had allegedly been supplying several street-level dealers in the area.

It is the latest drugs case to emerge from the wider Campo de Gibraltar area, where police have been targeting trafficking networks using coastal and inland routes. CNS previously reported on a separate cocaine investigation linked to Algeciras port.

The seized items and the detainees have now been handed to the judicial authorities.