1 Feb, 2024 @ 17:16
1 min read

Revealed: How a police officer ‘created a shield for drug traffickers’ in southern Spain – as disgraced Guardia Civil agent faces 14 years behind bars

PSpanish police officer is arrested 'for groping a young woman's buttocks' at the Malaga feria

A GUARDIA Civil officer in southern Spain is facing 14 years in jail for allegedly colluding with multiple drug cartels. 

Lieutenant Raul PM, is accused of tipping off narco bosses ahead of anti-drug raids and of organising the theft of almost 30 bales of hashish from a police evidence storage lock-up.

It comes after narco insiders previously revealed how their bosses spend up to 30% of profits on bribing police and port authorities in the likes of Algeciras – the main entry point for illegal drug shipments from South America, alongside Galicia in the north.

The former head of the Citizen Security Unit (Usecic), with the Montequinto Command, has been awaiting trial behind bars since August 10, 2020. 

His arrest came after a secret investigation, launched in February 2019, discovered he was passing information to drug cartels, police claim. 

Five teenage boys accused raping girl, 15, in Spain’s Alicante Five teenage boys accused raping girl, 15, in Spain’s Alicante Five teenage boys accused raping girl, 15, in Spain’s Alicante
(Stock Guardia Civil image)

According to prosecutors, he handed over any intelligence the mafia men requested, including who police were searching for in their databases, as well as which vehicles or licence plate numbers were being monitored.

READ MORE: Top narco reveals how drug cartels bribe police in southern Spain and beyond

It is alleged he accessed information above his pay grade in exchange for ‘financial benefits’. 

A middleman, to whom the agent passed the information, is also on trial. 

Between them, prosecutors say, they created a “shield”  to “guarantee the security of drug trafficking operations.” 

The gig was rumbled when the officer “tried to recruit” an undercover Guarda Civil investigator who was sent in to infiltrate the ring. 

The disgraced officer is due to stand trial this week, however his lawyer Ana Hidalgo has asked the judge for a suspension of the trial over alleged issues with the legal process. 

A judge has yet to make a ruling on the appeal.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Previous Story

Hospital in Spain’s Benidorm area will get extra beds in change to €47m project that started construction last year

Next Story

Revealed: How you can save BIG on flying to Spain and beyond with this ‘skiplagging’ travel hack – just don’t do it too often, warn experts

Latest from Crime & Law

Go toTop