Four arrested for supplying weapons to drug traffickers in the Canary Islands, including two on Fuerteventura and La Gomera

The Guardia Civil has dismantled a criminal organisation that illegally supplied firearms and ammunition to groups linked to drug trafficking in the Canary Islands. The operation resulted in four arrests, including two people detained at the end of October on Fuerteventura and La Gomera.

The investigation, codenamed Operation TERMINALES, uncovered an international network that brought weapons from mainland Spain to supply organisations involved in drug trafficking across the archipelago.

According to the Guardia Civil Command in Pontevedra, the four people arrested are aged 35, 42, 45 and 46. They all have criminal records and live in the Canary Islands. Two other people are also under investigation for their alleged links to the organisation.

Weapons transported by air

The operation began in October 2025, when officers intercepted a shipment of firearms and ammunition at Vigo Airport. A person had intended to transport it to the Canary Islands by air.

The material had been carefully concealed to avoid detection. The courier was arrested, and subsequent enquiries established that they had acted as a paid mule, hired to transport the weapons.

Officers identified the person who had arranged the transport, who was arrested days later in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Documents seized during the investigation, together with information exchanged with Europol and the authorities in Portugal, France and Italy, led investigators to discover that the two were part of a larger organisation.

At the end of October 2026, the Guardia Civil made two further arrests on Fuerteventura and La Gomera after identifying and locating the network’s leaders. With these arrests, investigators considered the criminal group dismantled.

Untraceable ghost guns

One of the organisation’s main activities was supplying so-called ghost guns: pistols illegally manufactured abroad by assembling components from different sources.

These weapons have no serial numbers or identifying marks, making them difficult to trace and their origin difficult to establish.

The investigation found that the organisation acquired weapons and ammunition abroad before bringing them to the Canary Islands from mainland Spain. Its members used encrypted messaging apps to communicate and coordinate transport.

Nine weapons, cocaine and a vehicle with a concealed compartment

Officers carried out six searches during the operation, seizing various items linked to arms and drug trafficking.

The items seized included seven pistols, a revolver, a rifle, a silencer and 500 rounds of ammunition of various calibres.

Officers also seized €15,000 in cash, one kilogram of cocaine and various items intended for the adulteration and distribution of narcotic substances.

Investigators also found a vehicle fitted with a sophisticated concealed compartment, known in police slang as a “caleta”, designed to hide and transport weapons and drugs.

The Guardia Civil also seized documents and electronic devices, which are being analysed.

One of the suspects remanded in custody

The four people arrested are suspected of belonging to a criminal group, illicit trafficking and possession of weapons and ammunition, as well as offences against public health related to drug trafficking.

The investigation was led by the Investigative Section of the Vigo Court of Instance, Court No. 4, which ordered one of the suspects to be remanded in custody.

The operation is part of the Comprehensive Plan for the Control of Firearms (PICAF), run by the Guardia Civil to combat illegal arms supply channels.