CITCO publishes Annual Drug Statistics
The Center for Intelligence Against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) of the Ministry of the Interior publishes its Annual Drug Statistics for 2024.
Police pressure causes hashish to fall to its lowest levels in two decades.
Hashish seizures fell by 44 percent in 2024, and marijuana seizures reached their lowest levels since 2019.
The State Security Forces and Corps and the Customs Surveillance Service seized 366 tons of cocaine, hashish, heroin, and marijuana.
Police pressure on drug trafficking networks has led to a substantial drop in the entry of hashish, marijuana, and heroin into Spain, according to the 2024 Annual Drug Statistics published by the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO).
The National Police, Civil Guard, and Customs Surveillance Service seized more than 366 tons of cocaine, hashish, heroin, and marijuana in operations carried out last year (a 30 percent decrease), in addition to thousands of cannabis plants, pills, and prohibited drugs.
The CITCO report reveals a 44 percent drop in hashish seizures, which for the first time in two decades are below 200 tons in a year.
The largest operation of the year took place in the Port of Algeciras (Cadiz) in a joint operation by the Civil Guard and Customs Surveillance. Officers detected 25 tons of hashish resin inside wooden boxes in a truck coming from Morocco and bound for Perpignan (France).
On the other hand, the marijuana market continues to suffer from the work of the State Security Forces and Corps in recent years and shows a 21 percent decline. Last year, 42 tons were seized, the lowest figure since 2019, confirming the downward trend noted in previous years.
Similarly, cocaine seizures rose by 5.2 percent to 123 tons. The biggest blow to cocaine trafficking came at the end of last year in a joint investigation by the National Police and Customs at the Port of Algeciras (Cadiz). Officers detected 13 tons of drugs hidden among boxes of bananas in a container from Ecuador.
Geographic distribution
By region, Andalusia leads in the number of arrests (6,725) for crimes against public health, followed by the Community of Madrid (4,968) and the Valencian Community (4,184). However, the CITCO report shows a reduction in the total number of arrests (-3.8 percent) and complaints (-5.9 percent) in Spain in 2024.
The full CITCO report on drug seizures can be found in the ‘Balances and Reports’ section of the Ministry of the Interior's website.
The document provides statistics broken down by region, province, and type of substance and does not include seizures made by regional police officers.
CITCO is a body within the Ministry of the Interior responsible for producing strategic and forward-looking criminal intelligence reports that are key to the development of state security policies.
Its main functions include coordinating the State Security Forces and Corps in operations against terrorism, violent radicalism, and organized gangs, as well as the destruction of drugs and the control of explosive precursors.
Its studies are largely based on ongoing contact with the National Police, the Civil Guard, Customs Surveillance, the National Intelligence Center (CNI), and regional police forces.
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