Spanish police say they have broken up a criminal gang suspected of smuggling cannabis hidden in bags of animal feed into the Republic of Ireland.
The operation, which involved Irish police and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), saw 13 people arrested in Spain and a further arrest earlier this summer in County Louth.
During a number of raids on properties in Madrid, Malaga and Seville, Spanish police seized €100,000 (£86,000), 630 marijuana plants, a firearm and three detonators.
Vehicles, watches, electronic devices have also been seized while property and assets of over €2m (£1.7m) have been blocked, Spain’s National Police said.
The investigation, involving all three police agencies, began in January of this year after authorities identified a group of Irish, British and Spanish nationals using freight companies to ship animal feed with concealed cannabis buds to Ireland.
A number of shipments, police in Spain said on Thursday, were intercepted over recent months and around 300kgs of cannabis seized.
Spanish authorities believe more than three tonnes of cannabis may have been smuggled since 2019.
A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána (Irish police) said they arrested a man in May 2025 “as part of an investigation conducted with Spanish police”.
“This man was charged and appeared before the courts,” the spokesperson added.
