This is the moment Spanish police seized at least 644 weapons after dismantling an arms trafficking network allegedly headed by a former Russian soldier.
Thousands of rounds of ammunition, silencers and equipment were also confiscated during a series of raids across multiple regions.
Six people have been arrested and are accused of selling weapons to organised crime gangs involved in drug trafficking and kidnappings.
The biggest discovery was made inside a storage unit in Figueres, Girona, which police said had been transformed into a clandestine workshop for converting blank-firing and trauma weapons into fully-functioning firearms.
Investigators believe the operation was headed by an expert gunsmith who acquired specialist weapons and knowledge while serving in the Russian army.
He has since been remanded in custody and was described by the Policia Nacional as a ‘high-value target for the European Union’.
The investigation began in early 2026 when officers detected a man allegedly using several fake identities to send large numbers of packages from different locations in the Valencia region to destinations across Spain.
Investigators noticed the parcels repeatedly had similar packaging and weights, while both senders and recipients were frequently registered under identities believed to have been stolen.
Police eventually intercepted one of the suspicious packages on June 11.
It had been sent from Benidorm to a parcel company in Badajoz that had already received similar deliveries.
After obtaining judicial authorisation to open it, officers discovered a handgun, submachine gun, silencer and high-capacity drum magazine inside.
Three people connected with the delivery were arrested in Badajoz.
Searches of properties there uncovered another eight firearms, two silencers and a large quantity of ammunition.
Police said the suspects appeared to form one link in a much larger supply chain distributing weapons and ammunition to other criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking and kidnappings.
Investigators then began working their way further up the network in an attempt to identify the source of the weapons.
Gun hidden inside secret car compartment
Their investigation led them to another suspected intermediary described as a weapons specialist.
He was arrested in Valencia on June 29 after being linked to another shipment.
Police intercepted him travelling in a vehicle and allegedly discovered a rifle, semi-automatic pistol and ammunition of various calibres concealed inside a specially constructed compartment in the glovebox.
A subsequent search of his home in a Valencia municipality uncovered another pistol, which police said belonged to the German army, as well as a shotgun.
The investigation then shifted to L’Escala in Girona, where officers identified a man allegedly connected to several shipments made using false identities and suspected of being a principal supplier and sender of the weapons.
Police also identified another member of the alleged network who was described as an expert gunsmith and lathe technician.
According to investigators, his expertise had been acquired during his time in the Russian army.
Submachine gun sent under stolen identity
After several weeks without detecting further shipments, police intercepted another package at a Girona courier facility on August 25.
The parcel was destined for Alzira in Valencia and its recipient was allegedly registered using a stolen identity.
Inside officers found a submachine gun with its serial number erased.
Investigators had previously observed the suspect visiting a storage unit in Figueres before personally arranging the shipment, allowing them to directly link the facility to the suspected arms operation.
Judicial authorisation was obtained to search both his home in L’Escala and the Figueres storage unit.
631 weapons inside clandestine workshop
The searches the following day revealed the scale of the operation.
Police discovered 631 weapons across the two properties, including genuine firearms, blank-firing guns and trauma weapons.
They also seized thousands of cartridges, numerous silencers and essential firearm components including slides, frames and barrels, as well as magazines exceeding legally permitted capacities.
Among the haul were two submachine guns with their serial numbers erased and a rifle fitted with an optical sight which preliminary checks indicated had been stolen in Valencia.
Six arrested
A total of five men and one woman have been arrested on suspicion of offences including membership of a criminal organisation, illegal storage and trafficking of weapons and ammunition, and handling stolen property.
A judge ordered the suspected weapons-conversion expert to be remanded in custody.
The investigation remains open and police said further arrests have not been ruled out.
