Polish drug lord on Europol's most wanted list arrested on Costa del Sol

The National Police on the Costa del Sol have arrested a Polish drug lord, who was on Europol's most wanted list for the crimes of murder, drug-trafficking and membership of a criminal organisation. The fugitive, who was the head of a violent criminal gang in Krakow linked to the transport of narcotic substances from Spain to Poland, was located and detained in Benahavís.

The investigation began in May, when the Polish authorities received information alerting them to the possible presence in Spain of a violent criminal organisation dedicated to international drug-trafficking. In turn, the Polish authorities reported that the organisation was part of a group of hooligans who controlled drug-trafficking in the city of Krakow.

The investigation into the criminal organisation had begun in Poland in 2016. In 2022, two criminal networks dedicated to drug-trafficking, mainly marijuana, which operated between Spain, Poland and other European countries, were dismantled. Both organisations operated under hierarchical structures, coordinating the intra-community acquisition of large quantities of drugs, their international transport and distribution in Poland and other destinations. Purchases and sales of marijuana in quantities of more than 140 kilograms and cocaine were documented, with black market values exceeding several million zlotys (the Polish currency).

Polish investigators also detected that members of these networks were involved in multiple illegal acts, including violent assaults on border control officers and private individuals.

The Spanish investigations led to the identification and location of the main fugitive. An operation was set up for his arrest, with the collaboration of a delegation of the Krakow police. Prior to his detention, he had been on the run from the Polish justice system for more than two years. Following the arrest, the other leader of the organisation was located and arrested in the municipality of Denia.

The National Police in Spain, with the support of Europol and the Polish authorities, carried out the operation in line with the EU's security strategy, which focuses on four key points: establishing a future-proof security environment, combating emerging threats, protecting European citizens from terrorism and organised crime and forging a robust European security ecosystem.

To achieve these objectives, the European Commission's directorate-general for migration and home affairs (DG HOME), together with EU agencies and specific EU funds, supports member states in the fight against criminal threats through coordinated operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and their business models.