Secret shooting range discovered in south of Spain where firearm-trafficking gang tested weapons of war

It was in an ideal spot and located deep enough to prevent the firing of the weapons from alerting local residents and security forces. The criminals had also placed mattresses around the area to absorb the noise

Laura Velasco

Granada

Thursday, 17 April 2025, 13:21

An illegal shooting gallery has been discovered in Granada in a joint operation involving Spain's National Police force and the Guardia Civil. It is the first of its kind found in Spain. The criminals had built the rudimentary facility over several nights to hide and test the firearms that they would later sell to other gangs.

The details of Operation Topera-Tuti were presented on Wednesday 16 April at a press conference. It is a major case that has dismantled a "highly dangerous" criminal organisation allegedly dedicated to the trafficking of weapons of war, with branches in Granada, Cordoba and Jaen.

The gang allegedly acquired the weapons in Spain and then resold them to other drug trafficking gangs "to commit extremely serious crimes". The sale prices ranged from 6,000/7,000 euros for a pistol to 10,000/11,000 euros for an assault rifle. Some of the buyers had used them in shootings in Andalucía, and this is how the investigators learned that the ammunition had been supplied in Granada.

Arrests

The two police units investigated separately and, finding common ground, joined forces to move forward. After months of investigations, surveillance and evidence gathering, the operational phase was carried out two months ago, on 20 February, with eleven raids in the towns of Loja, Moraleda de Zafayona and Granada city. Three people were arrested for allegedly committing crimes of illegal possession of weapons, storing weapons of war, crimes against public health and membership of a criminal organisation.

During the search of a shed in Molino Nuevo, Granada province, the investigators discovered the illegal shooting gallery underneath it, which was accessed after descending underground. It had been made by hand using basic tools in order not to attract attention. The criminals relied on third parties for its construction, which was carried out at night. It is dangerous to access, as it could collapse, and is awaiting demolition.

According to the authorities, this is the first shooting gallery found in the hands of a criminal organisation in Spain. It was used for the testing of the weapons acquired and subsequent sale to other criminal organisations and groups. It was deep enough and in an ideal location to prevent the sound of the firearms from alerting local residents and security forces. The criminals had also placed mattresses around the space to hide the noise.

Cash and marijuana seized

Investigators seized three assault rifles, a submachine gun, six handguns, a semi-automatic shotgun, a bulletproof vest, a pistol-to-submachine gun conversion kit, two dummy pistols, a pistol barrel, a dummy grenade, an air rifle, various assault rifle, submachine gun and high-capacity pistol magazines, as well as a large quantity of metallic and non-metallic ammunition.

In addition, more than 60,000 euros in cash were seized and two indoor marijuana plantations were dismantled. At this point, it became clear that the organisation was involved in the purchase, sale and distribution of all types of weapons (especially weapons of war) to criminal organisations involved in drug trafficking, for their defence and attack against rival gangs.

The weapons were also offered through secure mobile messaging applications where they offered various weapons of war (assault rifles, submachine guns, automatic pistols), police shotguns, ammunition, magazines, bulletproof vests and other tactical equipment. Once the first contact was made with the potential customer and the investigated persons ascertained the interest in their products, the members of the organisation would record videos testing the weapons to demonstrate that the worked correctly. On some occasions they even invited potential buyers to the site so that they could check the effectiveness of their merchandise in situ.

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