The “Operation Adriatic”, one of the largest operations against drug trafficking developed in Spain and with epicenter in Ibiza, could change court. The defense of one of the main accused has requested this Friday that the macro-case not be judged in the Provincial Court of Palma, as it is planned so far, and pass to the hands of the National Court, considering that the investigated facts affect different parts of the country and several European States.
The request has been raised during a hearing held this Friday, in which all parties have adhered to the request except the Prosecutor’s Office, according to legal sources. Now it will be up to the Chamber to decide whether or not to consider the transfer of the case, a decision that could mark the future of the judicial proceedings.
The precedent of Checkmate
The initiative of the defense of the Adriatic case comes almost at the same time that the Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the macro case of Operation Checkmate to the Audiencia Nacional. In that case, the high court understood that the investigated facts took place in different parts of Spain, so they should not continue to be investigated in a court of Palma.
The Supreme Court thus corrected the criteria of the investigating judge, the Court of Palma and the Prosecutor’s Office, which had previously rejected the change of court. This precedent is now the main legal argument used to claim the same treatment in the Adriatic case.
Operation Jaque Mate was a macro-investigation for drug trafficking that led to the dismantling of one of the largest cocaine smuggling organizations in Spain, with dozens of arrests and actions in various parts of the country.
A historic operation with epicenter in Ibiza
The Adriatic operation is considered one of the largest synthetic drug interventions in the history of Spain, both in terms of the volume of the stash and the complexity of the organization dismantled. The investigation was carried out by the Guardia Civil mainly in Ibiza and Malaga and represented an unprecedented blow to designer drug distribution networks.
The final balance of the operation reflects the magnitude of the criminal network: more than one million ecstasy pills seized, 212 kilos of ketamine, 73 kilos of MDMA, 20 kilos of cocaine, 21 kilos of ‘tusi’, as well as ten kilos of hashish and six kilos of marijuana.
An international network with ramifications in Europe
The investigations uncovered an organization with international ramifications, with connections in several European countries and a transport system based on mules, vehicles with double bottoms and routes connecting different points of the continent with Ibiza as one of the key logistics centers.
The supraterritorial dimension of the investigation is one of the central elements of the defense’s petition, which argues that the case goes beyond the scope of a provincial court and falls within the jurisdiction of the Audiencia Nacional, like other macro-operations against drug trafficking.
Trial scheduled for June is up in the air
Until now, the trial for the Adriatic case was scheduled to be held in June at the Provincial Court of Palma, but the request filed this Friday introduces a new procedural scenario. If the Chamber accepts the transfer, the judicial calendar could be significantly altered.
The decision taken by the judges will be key to determine where and when one of the biggest drug trafficking cases linked to Ibiza will be tried, a case that due to the volume of drugs, number of defendants and international scope has already marked a before and after in the fight against synthetic drugs in Spain.
