Organization

Headquarters

Mr. Francisco Javier Marín Lizarraga, General of the Civil Guard, is the Director of the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime (CITCO) of the Ministry of the Interior.

Born in Donostia-San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa) in March 1968, he joined the Civil Guard as a lieutenant in 1992 and his first posting was with the 5th Reserve and Security Group in Zaragoza.

In addition to obtaining qualifications as a shooting instructor and judicial police officer, he completed a military helicopter pilot course and was assigned to the Civil Guard Air Service Central Base, based in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid).

Already a commander, after completing the General Staff Course, he held positions in the Technical Office and the General Staff of the Civil Guard. From June 2013 to the present, he has held the position of advisory member in the Office of the Minister of the Interior in the ministerial teams of the 10th to 15th legislatures.

His academic background includes a degree in Law and a degree in Criminology from the National Distance Education University (UNED), a PhD in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, and a Master's Degree in Senior Management in International Security from the Civil Guard University Center and the Carlos III University of Madrid.

Missions

CITCO develops the reception, integration, and analysis of strategic information in the fight against organized crime, terrorism, violent radicalism, and activities related to drug precursors and explosives.

Receive, integrate, and analyze operational information and analysis that is relevant or necessary for developing the corresponding strategic and forward-looking criminal intelligence, both nationally and internationally, integrating and channeling, in a coordinated manner, all operational information received or captured to the State Security Forces and Corps and, where appropriate, to other agencies as determined. In this regard, it acts as a national point of contact for the exchange of intelligence and strategic information with the supranational agencies determined in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

In cases of joint or concurrent intervention, dictate, determine, and establish the criteria for coordination and action of the operational units of the State Security Forces and Corps, and of these with other intervening bodies or agencies, according to their own powers or in support of the intervention.

Establish the criteria for coordination and action by the operational units of the competent law enforcement agencies, in accordance with the functions of the Secretary of State relating to drug precursors and explosive precursors.

Prepare, in coordination with the Directorate-General for Coordination and Studies, unclassified statistical information related to these matters, in particular official statistics on drugs, organized crime, trafficking, and exploitation of human beings.

Propose, within the scope of its powers, national strategies and update them on an ongoing basis, coordinating and verifying their development and implementation. Establish, within the scope of its powers, the corresponding relationships with other similar centers or units in the European Union, its member states, or third countries.

Plan and execute the destruction of stocks of toxic drugs, narcotics, and psychotropic substances seized by the National Police and Civil Guard in their operations against drug trafficking, whether these stocks are held in their own facilities or in those of other ministerial departments, without prejudice to the powers of those departments.

The CITCO will oversee the National Unit for the Removal of Illegal Content from the Internet (UNECI), the National Passenger Information Office (ONIP), which acts as the national Passenger Information Unit (PIU) provided for in European regulations, and the Judicial Police Unit for Terrorism Offenses (TEPOL).

It will also act as the focal point for the National Rapporteur against Trafficking in Human Beings, providing support and technical assistance, as the National Contact Point for the Ministry of the Interior for the exchange of intelligence and information on Asset Tracing and Recovery (ORA), and as the National Contact Point for explosive precursors.

Regulatory framework

Click on the drop-down menus to access the available links.

BOE - Royal Decree 207/2024, of February 27, which develops the basic organizational structure of the Ministry of the Interior.
BOE - Organic Law 1/2020, of September 16, on the use of Passenger Name Record data for the prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of terrorist offenses and serious crimes.
BOE - Directive (EU) 2024/1260 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 24, 2024, on asset recovery and confiscation.

BOE - Regulation (EU) 2024/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 31, 2024, on the prevention of the use of the financial system for money laundering or terrorist financing.
BOE - Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data.
EU Directive - 2016/680 of the European Parliament and of the Council of April 27, 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by competent authorities for the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection, or prosecution of criminal offenses or the execution of criminal penalties, and on the free movement of such data.
BOE - Directive (EU) 2019/1153 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 20, 2019, laying down rules to facilitate the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of criminal offenses.
BOE - Directive (EU) 2023/977 of the European Parliament and of the Council of May 10, 2023, on the exchange of information between the security and customs services of the Member States.
BOE - Organic Law 7/2021, of May 26, on the protection of personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of criminal offenses and the enforcement of criminal penalties.
BOE - Organic Law 9/2022, of July 28, establishing rules to facilitate the use of financial and other information for the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of criminal offenses.
BOE - Law 10/2010, of April 28, on the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.

BOE - Law 4/2009, of June 15, on the control of drug precursors.
BOE - Royal Decree 129/2017, of February 24, approving the Regulation on the control of drug precursors.
EUR-Lex - Regulation (EC) 273/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of February 11, 2004, on drug precursors (consolidated version).
EUR-Lex - Council Regulation (EC) 111/2005 of December 22, 2004, laying down rules for the monitoring of trade between the Union and third countries in drug precursors (consolidated version).
EUR-Lex - Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1011 of 24 April 2015 supplementing Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on drug precursors and Council Regulation (EC) No 111/2005 laying down rules for the monitoring of trade between the Union and third countries in drug precursors and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 1277/2005 (consolidated version).

EUR-Lex - Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 20, 2019, on the marketing and use of explosives precursors.
BOE - Law 25/2022, of December 1, on explosive precursors.
BOE - Resolution of November 20, 2013, of the Secretary of State for Security, designating the Intelligence Center against Terrorism and Organized Crime as the National Contact Point for reporting suspicious transactions, thefts, and disappearances of explosive precursors.