Catalonia highway hijacking raises alarms over criminal tactics

Police in Catalonia are expressing concern over the increasing tactical sophistication of drug traffickers following a highway hijacking on the AP7 near Montornès del Vallès. Five individuals coordinated a maneuver to stop a vehicle traveling at 120 km/h, a tactic that placed other motorists at significant risk of collision.

Law enforcement officials, including members of the Mossos d’Esquadra elite unit GEI, have noted that these criminal operations appear increasingly professional. Experts suggest that trafficking groups may be hiring military or police instructors to train their members, mirroring high-profile, violent assaults seen in other regions, such as a coordinated attack in France in May 2024.