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Cocaine seizures in Spain have fallen sharply, but synthetic drugs are surging
New annual drug statistics show 370 tonnes seized nationwide in 2025, with ecstasy, tusi and crystal MDMA all on the rise while traditional trafficking routes face increased pressure
Spain's security forces seized 370 tonnes of drugs in 2025, according to the annual report published this week by the Intelligence Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime. The headline figure conceals some striking shifts in what is being seized and where.Cocaine seizures fell by 37% nationally, a drop the Interior Ministry attributes to sustained police pressure on large-scale trafficking networks, particularly along Atlantic maritime routes. Operations targeting merchant ships, speedboats and containers in Spanish ports have hit supply hard. Hashish seizures rose 29% to 257 tonnes, though that figure remains far below the levels seen in 2021, when 672 tonnes were intercepted.
The more significant story, however, is the rise of synthetic drugs. In Murcia, the numbers are particularly striking. The region was the second largest centre for ecstasy seizures in the whole of Spain in 2025, behind only the Valencian Community. A total of 129,180 pills were confiscated, representing one in five of all ecstasy seized nationally. That extraordinary figure is largely explained by Operation Wendy, a major operation in Cartagena late last year that resulted in 83 arrests, the dismantling of Spain's first opium poppy farm and the seizure of 100,000 ecstasy pills.
Murcia also saw a 692% increase in crystal MDMA seizures and a 387% rise in cocaine confiscations, from 22 kilos to nearly 108 kilos. The drug known as tusi, a mixture of ketamine and MDMA that is spreading rapidly among younger users across Europe, saw seizures in Murcia jump 75-fold compared to the previous year.
These trends reflect a broader national pattern. Authorities are monitoring the spread of synthetic substances, nitrous oxide, tusi, ketamine and certain opioids, all of which are showing increases in seizures even if the volumes remain relatively small in overall terms.
Nationally, Andalucía led the country in arrests for drug-related crimes with 5,267, followed closely by Madrid and the Valencian Community. Total arrests fell 8.72% overall, though the number of administrative complaints remained broadly stable.
Image: Policia Nacional
