Hashish trafficking booms in Catalonia: 14.6 tonnes seized in 2023

Catalan police Mossos d'Esquadra seized 14.6 tonnes of hashish between January and September of this year, an amount never before recorded in a single year, confirming the upward trend of the drug trade.

In total, more than 40 tonnes have been seized since 2020, when the hashish trade began to boom. In 2019, only 754 kg were seized, followed by 12.8 tonnes in 2020, 5.4 tonnes in 2021, 7.5 tonnes in 2022, and a record 14.6 tonnes in 2023 (January-September).

Arrests related to hashish trafficking are also on the rise, with a significant increase in the last two years, reaching 1,073 in 2022 and 912 this year (until September).

"Catalonia has always been a transit area for hashish and other drugs sent to the rest of Europe, such as cocaine. However, in the last two years there have been more incidents involving hashish, such as speedboats landing on beaches," said the head of the Mossos' Central Drugs Unit.

Since 2018, increased judicial and police pressure in the south of Spain, where the drug trade was established, has diverted some of the drug flow to the Catalan coast.

The head of the Central Narcotics Unit said that they are now trying to prevent third organizations from establishing their operational base here to then sell the drugs in European countries where the price per gram is higher.

"We have already detected them; they are brokers who come here to stock up and take the drugs to a market that generates much higher profits for them than the one here," he explained.

Cannabis: the problem persists

The trafficking of cannabis has been a constant criminal activity in Catalonia for the last decade, with the region being branded "the epicenter of Europe's illegal marijuana market".

Last year, the amount of drugs seized was exceptionally high, reaching 26.6 tonnes, a significant part of which was due to a large-scale investigation that resulted in the seizure of 12 tonnes of bundles and 70,000 plants. 

This year, the quantities of drugs seized suggest a return to the levels of previous years, with 5 tonnes seized between January and September (compared to 8.9 tonnes in 2021 and 10.1 tonnes in 2020).

In contrast to the hashish trade, arrests for cannabis trafficking are much higher. In 2022, there were 2,125 arrests, the highest number since at least 2013, and this year, as of September, there have already been 1,586.

Have a listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode published in February 2022 talking about the popularity of cannabis in Catalonia: