The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested two international fugitives in less than a month in the Girona regions, in operations carried out in Blanes and Vilablareix. The two arrests are part of the activity of the Penitentiary Environment Unit, specialized in locating national and international fugitives.
A person wanted by France, arrested in Blanes
The first arrest occurred on January 30 in Blanes. Officers from the International Fugitive Research Group located a 29-year-old man as he was leaving a tourist apartment where he had spent a few days with his partner. An European Arrest Warrant issued by the French authorities in August 2023 was pending against him.
The arrested man was listed as a fugitive for two and a half years and was wanted for his alleged integration into an international drug trafficking network. The investigation, initiated by the French police in 2022, allowed to dismantle a criminal organization dedicated to the trafficking of cocaine, methamphetamine, hashish, and other substances in Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Investigators attribute to that plot the transfer of more than 250 kilos of drugs between January and December 2022, with a market value exceeding 500,000 euros. The network used modified vehicles to hide the substance and move it between different countries. French justice charged 17 members and eight of them entered prison in August 2023.
The detainee in Blanes was one of the members who had not yet been able to be arrested. France demands more than ten years of prison for him. After being brought before the court, he entered prison awaiting extradition.
Arrested in Vilablareix a man wanted by Turkey
The second action took place on February 24 around 6:45 p.m. in Vilablareix. A citizen security patrol from Salt identified a 30-year-old man against whom there was an international arrest warrant issued by the Turkish authorities.
"It would be related to a homicide committed in Istanbul in March 2025 within the framework of an armed criminal organization" - Mossos d'Esquadra
Turkey demands life imprisonment for this detainee. The next day he was brought before the National Court, the body responsible for processing the extradition procedure.
More activity of the unit of search of fugitives
Behind both arrests is the work of the Penitentiary Environment Unit, which includes the Active Fugitive Research Group and the International Fugitive Research Group. During 2025, the unit participated directly or indirectly in 112 arrests, compared to 69 the previous year, which represents a 62% increase.
Of that total, 56 arrests were executed directly by the unit's operational groups. Another 40 came from investigations initiated and led by those teams and then referred to other Mossos services. The remaining 16 were carried out outside Catalonia thanks to information provided to police forces of other countries.
Among the unit's recent actions also figures the arrest, on February 26 in Mataró, of a repeat offender with more than 60 prior offenses who had not returned to Brians 2 after enjoying a prison leave. With the arrests in Blanes and Vilablareix, the Mossos reinforce pressure on fugitives sought by other countries who try to hide or move through Catalan territory.