Revealed: The behind-the-scenes power struggle that made the Spanish police chief at the Gibraltar border ‘go rogue’

THE so-called rogue officer’s rebellion at the Gibraltar frontier is down to an ‘internal dispute between the border chief and La Linea chief of police’, according to reports in Spain.

Juan Carlos Barrero Valerio the Policia Nacional inspector in charge of overseeing entry to and from Gibraltar, was dubbed a ‘rogue officer’ after he unilaterally halted the interim arrangements governing the border.

His instructions to start stamping passports, first on October 11 and again on November 22, led to long queues gathering in La Linea and severely impeded day-to-day activities on the Rock.

The disruption was so severe that St Bernard’s Hospital had to postpone surgeries scheduled for the day due to a lack of cross-border workers.

READ MORE: Spain’s ‘rogue police chief’ makes formal complaint against his own bosses to force Schengen controls on Gibraltar border

Barrero even filed a denuncia in the La Linea courts against his own superiors over the relaxed border arrangements with Gibraltar, which he argued violated the Schengen code and left him with no legal protection in case of an incident.

However, according to reports in El Pais, Barrero decided to ‘go to war’ against his superiors after the incoming commissioner of police moved responsibility for the frontier to a separate department. 

María José Martínez, who was appointed Commissioner of Police in La Linea in April 2024, moved control of the border away from Barrero’s unit, Unidad Central de Redes de Inmigración Ilegal y Falsedades Documentales (Central Unit for Illegal Immigration Networks and Document Forgery).

READ MORE: Gibraltar border chaos as tourists and workers are forced into one snaking queue

Instead she put it in the hands of la Brigada Local de Extranjería y Fronteras (Immigration and Borders Brigade) under the command of Inspector Ignacio Trujillano Saborido.

However, sources close to Barrero painted a different picture: “He filed the complaint when he began to see that he did not have the support of his superiors. 

“If he doesn’t carry out the law, they can accuse him of misconduct.”

READ MORE: Asian nationals ‘granted entry to Spain without correct visas’ after storms diverted Gibraltar-bound flight to Malaga

According to the El Pais report, Barrero’s actions do not have widespread support among the rank-and-file, either.

“[The border arrangement] is a political decision, whether we like it or not,” a police source familiar with the situation said. 

“It is not something that a chief inspector decides.”

Another said: “It is not his job to start conquering the Rock with dirty tricks; that’s not his job.”

However, experts within Spain have agreed that the interim arrangement cannot last forever, and as the ongoing treaty negotiations over the border stall, ‘it becomes reasonable to begin to gradually apply the controls in their entirety.’

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Barrero has already filed four formal complaints for irregularities at the border, including over allegations that Gibraltar’s Chief Minister and Governor made recent crossings ‘without proper authorisation from Spain’s Foreign Ministry’.

But his clashes with his superiors and disciplinary proceedings date back to January 2024.

Police sources state that one of these cases refers to ‘when the Chief Inspector allegedly placed an antenna at the border post without permission to control the ships and boats that were near Gibraltar.’

Other issues include issuing international arrest warrants for British military personnel who had entered La Linea.