The Civil Guard has dealt a double blow to arms trafficking and archaeological plundering by dismantling a criminal network based in the provinces of Jaén and Granada, which was dedicated to the illegal manufacture and sale of firearms and ammunition, and from which more than 5,000 archaeological pieces that had been looted from sites from different historical periods have also been seized. All this stolen material has been deposited in the Iberian Museum of Jaén, inaugurated in 2017 and which has remained half empty since then, waiting to receive pieces to assemble a permanent collection.
In the operation, which was announced on Sunday, six people have been arrested and another person is under investigation, two of whom are already in provisional prison after being brought before the judicial authorities. They are charged with the crimes of storing weapons of war, storing regulated weapons, illegal storage and manufacture of ammunition, storing explosives, trafficking in firearms, illegal possession of prohibited weapons, crime of risks caused by explosives and other agents, and against historical heritage.
In total, 64 firearms were seized, including three assault rifles and two submachine guns; 47,655 metal cartridges of different calibres; 14 silencers, numerous high-capacity magazines and essential firearm components, 45 kilos of gunpowder, 65,600 primers for the illegal manufacture of ammunition, a lathe for the manufacture of barrels and silencers and 30,000 euros in cash. In addition to the weapons and ammunition, the Civil Guard found more than 5,000 archaeological pieces such as coins, jewellery, arrowheads, utensils and religious objects from looting at sites from different periods with a high historical value.
According to the Civil Guard, the pieces and objects of archaeological interest now recovered had been stolen from sites in Jaén, a province with more than 500 archaeological sites and a world reference in Iberian art. After their seizure, the pieces were made available to the Iberian Museum of Jaén for cataloging and evaluation, as well as for safekeeping.
In recent decades, there have been numerous operations against archaeological plundering in the province. One of the latest and most famous was the so-called Operation Leona, in 2017, for the theft of an Iberian lioness from the 6th century BC that came from a robbery at a site in Jaén. As a result of this operation, one of the daughters of the banker Emilio Botín and her husband were charged, although a court ultimately found them to be defrauded rather than investigated.
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The latest operation by the Civil Guard began as a result of another operation against arms trafficking carried out in Jaén in September 2023, in which two people were arrested and two clandestine workshops for the illegal manufacture of weapons were dismantled. Thanks to this investigation, the agents were able to identify other members of the plot who manufactured barrels and parts for the illegal assembly and rehabilitation of firearms. They are also charged with the illegal manufacture of ammunition for diversion to the black market.
Agents from the Information Headquarters (UCE 3) of the Civil Guard participated in the operation, together with the Information Groups of Jaén, Seville and Granada, having had the support of the Information Section of the Andalusia Zone, the Canine Service of the Civil Guard (weapon detection dogs), the SEPRONA and USECIC of Jaén and the GEDEX of Granada.
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