Andalusia High Court calls for specialized drug courts amid rising trafficking

The judicial and law enforcement landscape in Andalusia is facing significant pressure due to rising drug trafficking activities. Lorenzo del Río, president of the High Court of Justice of Andalusia (TSJA), has warned that narcotics trafficking is becoming a “structural cancer” in regions including Huelva, Cádiz, and Seville.

Del Río is calling for the creation of specialized courts to handle drug-related cases, noting that judicial districts such as Ayamonte and Sanlúcar de Barrameda are experiencing an overwhelming increase in workload. He highlighted that the complexity of these cases is growing as investigations now frequently involve both drug trafficking and money laundering, alongside increased violence from criminal organizations.

Simultaneously, a power vacuum is emerging along the Guadalquivir river following the imprisonment of prominent hashish traffickers known as “el Ginés” and “el Tarta.” This has triggered internal struggles among various clans, with new elements from Cádiz and Seville attempting to seize control of the lucrative distribution routes that stretch from the Campo de Gibraltar to Sanlúcar.