https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/12/spanish-police-arrest-ex-fraud-chief-after-20m-found-in-walls-of-his-house [p] Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Close dialogue1/1Next imagePrevious imageToggle caption Skip to navigation Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US[ ] * US edition * UK edition * Australia edition * Europe edition * International edition The Guardian - Back to homeThe Guardian [ ] * News * Opinion * Sport * Culture * Lifestyle Show moreHide expanded menu * [ ]News + View all News + US news + US elections 2024 + World news + Environment + Ukraine + Soccer + Business + Tech + Science + Newsletters + Wellness * [ ]Opinion + View all Opinion + The Guardian view + Columnists + Letters + Opinion videos + Cartoons * [ ]Sport + View all Sport + Soccer + NFL + Tennis + MLB + MLS + NBA + WNBA + NHL + F1 + Golf * [ ]Culture + View all Culture + Film + Books + Music + Art & design + TV & radio + Stage + Classical + Games * [ ]Lifestyle + View all Lifestyle + Wellness + Fashion + Food + Recipes + Love & sex + Home & garden + Health & fitness + Family + Travel + Money * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Support us + Print subscriptions * + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us + The Guardian app + Video + Podcasts + Pictures + Inside the Guardian + Guardian Weekly + Crosswords + Wordiply + Corrections * Search input [ ] google-search Search + Search jobs + Digital Archive + Guardian Licensing + About Us * World * Europe * US * Americas * Asia * Australia * Middle East * Africa * Inequality * Global development A police officer with a rifle guards tonnes of seized cocaine [ ] Arrests were linked to the seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine that arrived from Ecuador, according to Spanish media Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Arrests were linked to the seizure of 13 tonnes of cocaine that arrived from Ecuador, according to Spanish media Photograph: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images Spain Spanish police arrest ex-fraud chief after EUR20m found in walls of his house Investigation into country's largest cocaine bust reveals cash in home of former head of anti-money laundering Agence France-Presse in Madrid Tue 12 Nov 2024 15.18 ESTLast modified on Tue 12 Nov 2024 17.03 EST Share Spain has arrested one of its top police officers after EUR20m (PS17m) was found hidden in the walls of his house, as part of an investigation into the country's largest-ever cocaine bust. Oscar Sanchez Gil was until recently the head of the fraud and anti-money laundering division of Spain's national police force in Madrid. Officers arrested him last week along with 15 other people, including his romantic partner, who is also a police officer in the Madrid region, a police source said without naming her. During the raid, police found the EUR20m, in cash, hidden in the walls and ceilings of the couple's home in Alcala de Henares, a town of about 195,000 inhabitants located 18 miles (30km) east of the Spanish capital. Officers also found EUR1m in his office, hidden in two locked cupboards, in bills of EUR50-500, according to the police source. The couple have been charged with drug trafficking, money-laundering, corruption and membership of a criminal organisation after last week appearing before a Madrid court, which remanded them in custody, a judicial source said. Spanish media said the arrests were linked to the seizure last month of 13 tonnes of cocaine that arrived in the southern port of Algeciras from Ecuador's largest city Guayaquil - a drug-trafficking hub - hidden among crates of bananas. Police said the drug bust - which they only announced last week - is the largest-ever haul of cocaine in Spain and "one of the largest seizures in the world". The container was destined for a Spanish importer based in the south-eastern coastal town of Alicante "who had been receiving large quantities of fruit imported from Ecuador for years", the authorities said. Police searched several homes and offices in Madrid and Alicante after the cocaine seizure. These operations uncovered links between the importer and Sanchez Gil, according to Spanish media reports. He was already under suspicion by his colleagues who had tapped his phone, daily newspaper El Mundo reported. The father-of-three, who is in his 40s and lives in a brick house protected by metal gates, is suspected of having worked for the drug traffickers for "at least five years", a source told the newspaper. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to This is Europe Free weekly newsletter The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans - from identity to economics to the environment Enter your email address [ ]Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion During these years, he allegedly provided them with information on the surveillance of containers in Spanish ports, which enabled them to avoid checks, according to a source close to the investigation. While his lifestyle was not ostentatious, the large sums of money found in his home led police officers quoted by El Mundo to compare his house "to that of Pablo Escobar", the notorious Colombian drug baron who was shot dead by police in 1993. A nephew of Escobar once said he found a plastic bag with money worth $18m hidden in the wall of one of his uncle's houses. Part of the money Sanchez Gil amassed in recent years was laundered through the purchase of crypto-currencies and a large fleet of private hire vehicles registered in the name of one of his relatives, El Mundo reported. Spain is a main entry point for drugs into Europe because of its close ties with former colonies in Latin America such as major cocaine producers Colombia and Peru, and its proximity to Morocco, a top cannabis producer. 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