Four more people arrested for the kidnapping and murder of a man in 2024

The National Police and the Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested four men in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a man in 2024. There is a fifth man under investigation who is serving a sentence for other crimes in a Madrid prison.

The first phase of the investigation culminated in November 2024, when the police dismantled a criminal organization based in Maresme and Barcelona dedicated to international drug trafficking and arrested 14 people. The group had ties to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel. The body of the victim, a 46-year-old man who had traveled from Italy, was located months before, in August, in a wooded area of ​​Botarell (Baix Camp).

The new arrests occurred on September 22, with devices in Barcelona, ​​Sant Vicenç de Montalt (Maresme) and Sant Boi de Llobregat (Baix Llobregat). The agents were able to collect new evidence related to the crimes of kidnapping, murder, drug trafficking, money laundering and membership in a criminal organization.

This new phase of the investigation was carried out after analyzing the information collected in the first phase, in November 2024, which allowed new suspects to be identified.

The origin of this entire investigation dates back to the end of June 2024, when Mossos and the National Police already formed a joint team after learning through international police cooperation channels that there was a complaint filed by the relatives of a man who had allegedly been kidnapped in Catalonia. The perpetrators requested payment of 240,000 euros and even provided a photograph of their victim as proof of life.

The family reported that they had made a first payment in cryptocurrency equivalent to about $32,000, in accordance with the kidnappers' instructions, but they did not receive any information about the victim's condition and continued to receive demands for new payments.

The investigation made it possible to identify people related to the kidnapping and reconstruct the movements of the victim, a 46-year-old man who had traveled from Italy to meet with members of the criminal organization. The house where the murder occurred and the vehicle used to transport the body could also be located. On August 5, 2024, the body was located in Botarell. The investigations showed that the main suspects were also part of a criminal group dedicated to international drug trafficking.

Finally, in November 2024, a joint device allowed the arrest of 14 people and the dismantling of the criminal network. The agents seized firearms, synthetic drugs and a methamphetamine extraction laboratory. They also collected numerous evidence related to the kidnapping and murder, which is why the investigating court kept the proceedings secret for months.

The detainees are now between 26 and 51 years old and were handed over to the investigation section of Court of Instance number 2 of Reus on September 24.