Madrid’s Municipal Police have confirmed that they have arrested one of the leading figures of a Colombian criminal organisation operating in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which specialises in large-scale drug smuggling.
The arrest took place in the district of Hortaleza on 21st February at 9:00pm, as reported in an official press release.
Officers from the District’s Integral Police Station spotted two middle-aged men behaving suspiciously near a gated residential complex on Calle Isabel Clara Eugenia in the Sanchinarro neighbourhood. When they noticed the police presence, both attempted to retreat inside the premises, prompting officers to intervene and request their identification.
One of the men presented a Colombian passport, while the other handed over two Croatian documents, an identity card and a driving licence, which were later confirmed to be forgeries. Due to their nervous behaviour and hesitation, a backup patrol was called to the scene.
Upon searching their luggage, officers discovered two precision scales, gloves, a small quantity of cocaine, and pre-packaged drug wraps intended for distribution.
Since the second individual failed to provide a verifiable identity, both men were taken to the police station for further checks. It was there that authorities confirmed the true identity of one of them, Juan Carlos C.H., alias ‘Capo Campuzano’, a 47-year-old Colombian national and a notorious leader of the criminal network based in Gran Canaria.
Campuzano had been sentenced for drug trafficking offences, including the seizure of 1,500 kilograms of hashish and 150 kilograms of cocaine. However, he had managed to evade justice and had been on the run since April 2024, with an active arrest warrant issued by the Provincial Court of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. His criminal history also links him to the so-called ‘Operation Mechanic’, a high-profile drug enforcement operation.
During his arrest, Campuzano refused to disclose the source of his forged documents, arrogantly stating that he would “never reveal where he had bought them.”
The Municipal Police have since handed him over to judicial authorities, and he is expected to be transferred to the Provincial Court of Las Palmas, where he will face multiple criminal charges.
