Junta opens secure storage depot with capacity for 600 seized vehicles or vessels in Malaga province town

Currently, 275 vehicles are stored at the site, many of them high-end, as well as five narco-boats and two other smaller vessels related to drug-trafficking operations

Julio J. Portabales

Almargen

Tuesday, 22 April 2025, 16:22

The management and storage of vehicles and vessels seized by court order has been a growing challenge in several Andalusian provinces, especially in Malaga. Faced with this situation, the Junta de Andalucía has promoted the creation of a new judicial depot in the municipality of Almargen, which has been operational since last September. It is the first of its kind in the province and the fourth of a public nature in the region.

This past Monday, the new premises were visited by regional minister of justice, local administration and public function José Antonio Nieto and other local authorities. The delegation learned about the operation and technical characteristics of the facility first-hand.

The Almargen depot has a surface area of more than 11,000 square metres and a capacity for 600 seized vehicles. It is equipped with an integral video surveillance system to guarantee the security of the goods under judicial custody. Currently, 275 vehicles are stored there, many of them high-end, as well as five narco-boats and two other smaller vessels related to drug-trafficking operations.

The execution of the project has involved an investment of almost 700,000 euros, which is financed by a public contract for 24 months, with the possibility of extension. Before the construction of this facility, Malaga depended on the judicial depot located in Seville, which caused logistical problems, overloading and additional costs in the transfer and maintenance of seized vehicles. With this new infrastructure, the aim is to offer a closer and more efficient service for the judicial bodies in the province.

During his speech, regional minister José Antonio Nieto said that, until 2019, there used to be only one public judicial repository in Andalucía (in Seville), inaugurated in 2010, and that three of the four current ones have been created in recent years to cover different areas of the region. He stressed the need to continue strengthening the network of facilities to improve the management of assets seized by the justice system.

Security

Nieto highlighted the need to establish greater coordination between the police, the judicial authority and the administrations responsible for the custody of assets. He also expressed his support for the creation of a state protocol to unify the criteria for the management of these judicial deposits throughout the country, with the aim of improving the efficiency of the system.

With regard to the narco-boats, the regional minister said that, although their responsibility lies with the tax agency through Puertos del Estado, the Junta de Andalucía is responsible for their "custody or destruction" in those cases in which there is a court order. These vessels, as they are considered illegal, must be destroyed as soon as this action is authorised by the courts, with no possibility of reuse. Currently, a total of eight narco-boats are in custody in total in the Malaga and the Seville depots.

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