Five Civil Guard officers are facing a total of 13 years in prison each after being accused of helping run a large tobacco smuggling operation at the Gibraltar border.
The trial, taking place at Cadiz Provincial Court in Algeciras, is expected to conclude on Friday when the case will be left awaiting verdict.
Prosecutors allege the officers were part of a criminal network that allowed vehicles packed with smuggled cigarettes to pass through the La Línea border checkpoint between Gibraltar and Spain.
According to the prosecution, the group operated between 2016 and 2018, using a fleet of at least 11 cars, vans and lorries fitted with hidden compartments to transport tobacco into Spain.
The five officers were arrested in February 2019 following an investigation by the Civil Guard’s Internal Affairs unit.
Investigators claim the agents worked together with five other civilians to organise the illegal crossings.
‘The vehicles passed through the border with total impunity,’ prosecutors told the court, alleging the officers allowed them through in exchange for cooperation with the smuggling operation.
Hundreds of crossings recorded
Authorities documented 295 crossings of the border gate by vehicles linked to the operation.
Most of those crossings reportedly took place while the accused officers were on duty.
Prosecutors say the officers even shared confidential information about shift patterns at the border, allowing smugglers to plan crossings when the accused officers were working.
On several occasions, investigators claim the officers tried to convince customs or National Police officers not to search vehicles suspected of carrying contraband.
One example uncovered thousands of cigarette packs
In one case on January 21, 2017, Policia Nacional officers stopped a van at the border checkpoint and found 7,170 packs of cigarettes hidden in a false floor, worth nearly €30,000.
The prosecution claims one of the accused officers tried to persuade police not to search the vehicle by telling them it carried nothing illegal.
Records showed that the same van had crossed the border 24 times in just over a month.
Prosecutors seek prison sentences and €900,000 fines
The Public Prosecutor is requesting for each officer:
- 5 years in prison for smuggling
- 5 years for membership of a criminal organisation
- 3 years for revealing confidential information
They also face disqualification from the Guardia Civil and a joint fine of €900,000.
The five civilians involved face similar prison requests of up to 10 years, while another suspect faces an additional charge of drug trafficking after 301 grams of cocaine were found during a house search.
All defendants could also be ordered to jointly compensate the Spanish state with €185,632.
The State Attorney’s Office, representing the government, has backed the prosecution but is seeking even tougher penalties by adding charges of embezzlement and document forgery.
Defence lawyers are expected to present their final arguments before the court retires to consider its verdict.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
