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A man has been arrested in Orihuela following a joint operation between the Policía Nacional and Swedish police, after investigators tracked him down in connection with organised criminal networks operating in Sweden.

 

The arrest was carried out on Thursday in compliance with a European Arrest and Surrender Warrant issued by the Swedish Public Prosecutor's Office, who are seeking his extradition on suspicion of arms trafficking. A European Investigation Order was also executed as part of the same operation.

 

The man, who had been living in Spain for several years, is alleged to have acted as a supplier of weapons and ammunition used by criminal groups to carry out violent attacks in Sweden. Once investigators had established his location and identified his address in Orihuela, officers moved in and also searched his home, where a number of electronic devices were seized. Those devices are now being analysed for evidence connected to the crimes under investigation.

 

What makes this case particularly disturbing is the nature of the networks the suspect is alleged to have supported. According to the Policía Nacional, these criminal organisations recruit people to carry out attacks and settle scores on their behalf, and their preferred targets for recruitment are minors. The groups use social media platforms to identify and approach young people, offering payments in cryptocurrency, a deliberate choice designed to make the transactions harder for police to trace.

 

The operation was carried out by the Special Response Group for Organised Crime (GRECO) Levante, part of the General Police Headquarters for Judicial Affairs, working alongside the General Information Headquarters. The investigation falls under the framework of what Spanish authorities classify as New Destabilising Threats to Internal Security, a category that covers transnational criminal networks considered among the most serious threats to security in Spain and across Europe.

 

Following his arrest, the suspect was brought before the Court of First Instance in Orihuela. The case will now be passed to the Audiencia Nacional, which will handle the formal extradition proceedings and oversee the process of transferring him to the Swedish authorities.

 

The collaboration between Spanish and Swedish law enforcement underlines the increasingly cross-border nature of organised crime, and the growing concern across Europe about criminal networks deliberately targeting vulnerable young people for recruitment.

 

 

Image: Policía Local