A major cocaine network allegedly making monthly deliveries from Barcelona to Granada, Madrid and other parts of Spain has been dismantled by the Policia Nacional.

All 12 suspected members were arrested after the force seized 61kg of cocaine before it could be divided and distributed.

Officers also recovered €222,880 in cash and five firearms, comprising two pistols, two revolvers and a shotgun.

Investigators said the network transported drugs and money inside sophisticated mechanised compartments built into cars and vans.

The concealed spaces, known in Spanish criminal circles as caletas, were added after the vehicles had been manufactured and designed to be extremely difficult to detect during police searches.

The operation was launched at the beginning of September after officers established that the gang had received a fresh cocaine shipment in Barcelona.

Police moved in before the consignment could be divided into smaller quantities and dispatched to its distribution points.

Inside the boot of one vehicle, officers discovered 38 vacuum-packed blocks of cocaine weighing approximately 45kg.

A van used by the group contained three separate concealed compartments.

Two had been constructed beneath the floor at the front of the vehicle, while a third was hidden in the rear.

Together, the compartments could carry more than 50kg of drugs. Police found €127,600 in cash inside one of them.

Investigators documented recurring cocaine deliveries to Granada, Madrid, Ciudad Real and locations across Cataluña.

The destinations were restocked according to how quickly their existing supplies were sold.

Police believe the organisation was divided into two separate but closely coordinated branches.

The Barcelona wing, whose alleged members belonged to the same family circle, acted as the supplier and custodian of the drugs.

It received and stored large cocaine shipments until they were ready to be transported elsewhere.

A second branch, based mainly in Madrid, allegedly directed the operation and managed the transportation and distribution network.

Its leader is accused of setting prices, negotiating purchases and checking the cocaine’s quality before deciding whether to accept each shipment.

Trusted lower-ranking members were then instructed to collect the drugs and deliver them to sales points across Spain.

Police said the alleged bosses deliberately kept their distance from the most dangerous parts of the operation.

They retained control over negotiations and profits while delegating the storage, transportation and physical handover of drugs to trusted associates.

Investigators carried out 12 searches across four provinces: six in Barcelona, four in Madrid, one in Granada and one in Ciudad Real.

The raids resulted in the seizure of 61kg of cocaine, €222,880 and the five firearms.

All 12 suspects were remanded in custody while under investigation for alleged drug trafficking, membership of a criminal organisation and illegal possession of weapons.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.