A serving soldier is one of two men accused of running an illegal weapons factory in Almeria.
It comes after a Belgian and a Dutch national were arrested for allegedly converting blank-firing pistols and flare guns into live firearms before selling them on the black market.
According to the Guardia Civil, their makeshift factory was set up inside a rural property in Portaloa.
Authorities say they had been operating since 2023, running an online sales platform and using false identities to traffic weapons and ammunition.
One of them, who is reportedly a serving member of the armed forces in his home country, had specialist knowledge that allowed him to modify weapons so they could fire live rounds.
The investigation began in March 2025, after officers detected and intercepted three modified pistols sent from Almeria under fake names to destinations in Spain and the Netherlands.
All of the seized weapons were originally alarm or signal pistols that had been altered to fire real ammunition.
Police warned that these converted firearms have the same lethality and characteristics as standard guns, making both their possession and sale illegal under Spanish and European law.
19 firearms seized
During recent arrests, officers searched the rural property in Portaloa, uncovering a fully equipped illegal workshop.
Inside, they seized 16 firearms, large quantities of ammunition of various calibres, and specialised tools and machinery used to modify weapons and manufacture ammunition.
Including the three pistols intercepted earlier in the investigation, a total of 19 firearms have now been seized.
European supply route dismantled
The operation forms part of the Guardia Civil’s Integrated Firearms Control Plan (PICAF) and has led to the dismantling of an illegal European weapons supply channel.
Authorities say the case has also triggered further investigations in several other countries.
The investigation has been overseen by the examining magistrate at Court of First Instance No. 1 of Huercal-Overa and carried out by multiple Guardia Civil units, working alongside police forces in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy and Germany, with coordination support from EUROPOL.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
