The Civil Guard, within the framework of Operation ‘Rifiuti’, has arrested and investigated 22 people and seven companies belonging to an international criminal organization dedicated to illicit trafficking of urban waste and other crimes. They estimate that more than 40,000 tons of garbage have been illegally dumped in Spain since 2021.
The people investigated would have earned more than 19 million euros since 2021 from Italian waste treatment companies, which would have hired their services to dispose of the waste. These people are accused of several crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, against natural resources and the environment, and document falsification.
The investigations began after detecting the entry of waste into Spain whose documentation could be falsified and that they would be destined for landfills without having been previously treated. Tons of urban waste of all types, including dangerous and toxic waste, were deposited daily in an uncontrolled manner in towns in Tarragona and Cuenca from Italy.
The first investigations made it possible to identify a series of interrelated companies based in Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha that traded at large levels with Italian waste. It was possible to verify that dozens of trucks They entered the waste management facilities controlled by the organization but, instead of subjecting the load to recovery processes, it was redirected directly to landfills. These quantities of urban waste of Italian origin illegally dumped in Spanish landfills would have exceeded 40,000 tons per year since 2021.
Although Italian companies were contracted to manage urban waste, these They referred their elimination to Spain to save costs, which would have brought millions in income at the expense of the Italian treasury. It is estimated that the criminal organization would have earned more than 19 million euros in the last four years.
As reported by the Civil Guard, these practices contravene legislation and environmental control systems, the spirit of which lies in the principle of proximity and that each country takes responsibility for its waste.
Spain cannot admit entry of this type of waste for disposal in landfills, with the Italian authorities being the obligation to manage and eliminate waste generated in urban areas, according to Benemética.
Therefore, the procedure consisted of interposing a series of companies between the Italian producer and the Spanish landfill, which simulated different treatments and operations never carried out, so that, at least at a documentary level, it seemed that everything was done in accordance with current legislation. This also guaranteed that the Spanish control authority, the Catalan Waste Agency, would issue the required authorizations, avoiding all types of opposition.
Hazardous waste
The result is that tons of urban waste of all types from Italy were buried daily in landfills located in the provinces of Tarragona and Cuenca, including hazardous and toxic waste, which can cause damage to ecosystems and the health of surrounding populations.
During the operation, five entries and searches were carried out at the headquarters of legal entities in Lleida, Constantí and Riba Roja D’Ebre, in Tarragona, and Almonacid del Marquesado, in Cuenca, where various computer equipment was seized and samples were taken. the transferred waste, which will help continue with the clarification of the illicit crimes.
The judicial authority has ordered the blocking of properties and bank accounts belonging to those investigated that form part of the assets obtained through illicit activity, with a view to future restitution of the damage generated.
European pursuit
In May 2021, the Council of the European Union adopted the priorities for combating serious and organized crime during the 2022-2025 cycle (EMPACT). They were adopted ten prioritiesamong which is that of crimes against the environment. And the objective is to dismantle criminal networks involved in all forms of crimes against the environment, concentrating especially on the trafficking of waste and wild flora and fauna.
Also in criminal networks and businessmen with the capacity to infiltrate high-level legal business structures or to create their own companies in order to facilitate their crimes. This type of crime grows at a rate between 5% and 7% annuallybeing the fourth most important criminal activity in the world, after drug trafficking, human trafficking and counterfeiting.
The operation has been directed by the Court of Instruction No. 4 of Tarragona and developed by the Central Operational Unit for the Environment (UCOMA) of the Headquarters of the Nature Protection Service (Seprona) of the Civil Guard and has also had the support from Europol. Civil Guard units from Lleida, Tarragona and Cuenca have also participated. For more information you can contact the press office of the SEPRONA Headquarters at 608 25 10 69.
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