Spain's Police GRACO Recovers €15.5 Million from Organized Crime in First Year

The Grupo de Recuperación de Activos del Crimen Organizado (GRACO), a specialised unit of the Policía Nacional created in January 2025 to meet EU directives, has recovered €15.5 million in its first year of operation. The figure comes from 43 investigations targeting organised‑crime groups across Spain, ranging from Valencia to Tenerife.

GRACO has blocked a wide array of assets, including real estate, vehicles, boats, electronic devices such as video‑consoles and electric scooters, and cryptocurrency wallets. The unit works alongside other police branches – the Unidad de Delincuencia Económica y Fiscal, the Unidad de Droga y Crimen Organizado, the Unidad Central de Ciberdelincuencia – and coordinates with the Ministry of Justice’s asset‑management office to ensure seized goods are transferred to the public treasury and used to compensate victims. European data show that only about 2 % of criminal proceeds are recovered, highlighting the broader challenge GRACO aims to address.