Basque police drug enforcement operations

In early July, the Basque police force (Ertzaintza) raided a van, garage and storage unit in Usurbil, seizing more than 52,000 envelopes of a prescription drug and additional boxes of medication linked to a local pharmacy. Two suspects were detained and placed before a court.

Two weeks later, Ertzaintza conducted separate actions: in Vitoria‑Gasteiz, officers arrested two men after a violent robbery that injured victims and resulted in the theft of a mobile phone. In Galdakao, another vehicle was stopped, leading to the discovery of 700 g of hashish tablets, 75 g of cocaine and €3,000 in cash. Four men, all of Maghreb origin, were taken into custody for further investigation.

Both incidents illustrate a continued crackdown by Basque authorities on drug‑related crime, expanding from large‑scale illegal medication seizures to arrests tied to violent theft and street‑level narcotics trafficking.