Malaga spy-phone supplier and lorry driver arrested as police dismantle 'Eye of Sauron' hashish network

Malaga province provided a key link in the network allegedly run by the so-called 'Eye of Sauron' of hashish: a business owner who owned several spy equipment shops in the area and supplied the criminal organisation's leaders with smartphones equipped with specialist encryption software.

The highly secure devices allowed the gang's leaders to coordinate individual drug shipments while trying to stay beyond investigators' reach. At the other end of the encrypted communications supplied by the Malaga entrepreneur was a veteran Madrid drug trafficker, born in Alcobendas in 1961 and already known to police. He was the central figure around whom the entire operation revolved.

Like the Eye of Sauron itself, the symbol of constant surveillance and evil power in The Lord of the Rings, the alleged ringleader maintained control over every part of the criminal infrastructure. He kept direct lines of communication open with suppliers in Morocco, financed sea transport and the rental of stash houses registered in other people's names, paid for alterations to storage facilities and covered staff wages. He even paid lawyers' fees when members of the organisation were arrested.

Alongside the spy-technology business owner, the network had another essential logistical link in Malaga province. Investigation sources told Sur that another suspect arrested in the province was a lorry driver responsible for receiving hashish shipments when they came ashore along the Andalusian coast.

To transport the drugs safely to the network's central stash houses in Madrid, he used articulated lorries and large vans fitted with concealed compartments designed to evade roadside inspections.

Police also arrested the driver's son after finding drugs during a search of their home. They additionally inspected an industrial warehouse owned by the business owner in Malaga, but found no illegal substances there, the police commander said.

The contrast between the foot soldiers and the alleged kingpin was stark. His police record dates back to 2009, when police arrested him and his wife in a Madrid flat with a consignment of hashish.

Over the years, he built an ostentatious lifestyle that he allegedly concealed behind shell companies in the beauty and food sectors. He also appeared on the payroll of a printing company, receiving a fraudulent net salary of more than 5,000 euros a month despite allegedly doing no work.

"He has spent as much as 8,000 euros on suits, eaten in luxury restaurants three times a day and employed personal trainers," inspectors said.

The alleged ringleader owned luxury villas in La Moraleja, near Madrid, and Ibiza through companies registered in his name. To bring home the profits from drug sales in Germany, he allegedly used the hawala network (an informal money-transfer system operating outside the conventional banking system) through a Syrian intermediary in Madrid. This allowed him to access cash in Madrid or Malaga to finance new drug shipments.

The complex supply chain also involved fishing boats operating from ports such as Garrucha in Almeria province. The boats went out to sea to collect bales of hashish from high-speed drug-smuggling boats, then brought the drugs discreetly into port. Lorries equipped with hidden compartments and prepared in Malaga then transported the consignments by road to central Spain.

After escaping from his Madrid home in March 2026, the alleged kingpin remained hidden in Tangier under the protection of his suppliers. An international arrest warrant issued through Spain's National Court eventually led to his capture on 8 October.

He is now being held in a Moroccan prison while awaiting extradition to Spain. He is reportedly trying to speed up the process so he can return as soon as possible. The National Police expect to make further arrests.

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