His face became as famous for journalists covering drug trafficking in the Strait of Gibraltar as for the protagonists of those events. Guillermo Alonso (Seville, 56 years old) also took part in a search of one of these houses full of splendor and eccentricity, who later gave his face to explain to the media how the operation of the OCON Sur (Organization for Coordination) was carried out by Operations against Drug Trafficking), the unit created in 2018 in the Guardia Civil to fight against an “overwhelmed” situation in the Campo de Gibraltar. Now, after 38 years in the fight against drug trafficking – with comings and goings and appearances in other areas and assignments in Andalusia – Alonso goes into reserve with an already reorganized and commando-divided OCON and the certainty that the fight against the Drug trade goes a long way: “As long as there is demand, there will be supply.”
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Questions. How would you summarize the years of fighting drug trafficking that you experienced in your career in two phases? Have they changed a lot in the way they are and lighten up?
Answer. They are constantly renewing themselves and have the ability to innovate economically. So it’s a constant struggle. Society is strongly influenced by social networks and you can see that in acting. Now they prefer to brag. The series and movies about drug dealers have done harm because they are seen as heroes even though they are criminals. It’s not the ’90s generation. Ever since I was in the Algeciras area, when there were still smugglers selling hashish, the current situation has been strongly influenced by this change in social networks, where we all post what interests us and wants to show off.
Q How do you think the drug trade is now in Andalusia and the Straits, after all the police siege?
R A few years ago, Campo de Gibraltar was a highway for drug boats. Because of the pressure, it has become a regional road, but of course there are currently many regional roads, such as the Almería area. In fact, they have expanded and are not only active in Andalusia, but also in Levant and other places. Organizations in Campo de Gibraltar are expanding and merging with others. It’s not that there haven’t been drug trafficking organizations in other places, there always have been. But the most powerful in Campo de Gibraltar have connected to these premises to make a profit. That would be a cooperative in which everyone gets by with what they invest. Some make it at Colla [argot con el que se conoce a los miembros de las mafias que descargan el hachís en la playa]others in the crews or in refueling.
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Q What was your first shock when you were confronted with the worrying situation in the straits in 2018?
R The situation had widened. In the 1990s there was some hashish in the Campo de Gibraltar area, more specifically in La Línea, but mostly tobacco. I was in the GRS unit and they sent us there because the situation was out of control. They removed the load of tobacco, they faced each other, they threw stones and the situation had to reverse. Years later, the same thing happened in Barbate, which was also overcrowded. There comes a time when they believe they are stronger than the state. But Papa Estado is there and puts his foot on the wall. In 2018 it was said that things couldn’t go on like this. The Home Office drew up the special security plan and the Guardia Civil did their homework.
Q You were always present during the numerous searches. Do you remember an anecdote about those tense moments and at the same time long waiting times with the detainees?
R There are people who are very cocky at first and think that we have nothing against him, that he is very powerful and that we will not catch him. Then they change when we find something by searching and they lose all their pride. I remember an entry in Sanlúcar de Barrameda from my first stage against drug trafficking. There was a lady who, since we entered the house, did nothing but insult us. She said we brought it up against her husband. Eventually she looked her husband in the eye and he bowed his head, realizing that she was hiding something. There we had to grab her and hold her so she wouldn’t attack him. He didn’t give him a miraculous spanking.
There comes a time when they believe they are stronger than the state. But Papa State is there and is putting its foot on the wall
Q Campo de Gibraltar’s Anti-Drug Prosecutor speaks about how drug trafficking has led to the loss of entire generations infiltrated by drugs. Do you agree with the analysis?
R Of course, what is at stake here is the fact that the police solution must be accompanied by many others: social, educational… When I arrived in Campo de Gibraltar in the 1990s, the children were playing on the beach and walking with a boat tied to a rope , now they are controlled remotely. That’s what happens when something is so imbued with morality and they see it as something normal. In the early 2000s we went to a register in the Tres Mil Viviendas de Sevilla and the man we were trying to arrest had an anxiety attack. The woman came down and gathered several children. When the ambulance arrived, she pointed to the health workers and said, “These are the good guys.” Then he pointed to the regional police who worked with us and added, “And these are the bad guys.” They suck that mentality from childhood and it will be difficult to change that.
Q Have you experienced situations of pressure or tension with the drug dealers? How did your family live?
R husband, family, worried. I never told them where I was going when we went on a trip. I would always take a selfie, send it to them and say, “I’m fine, I’m on this page.” My children and their wife are very aware of my work and have this concern. What you assume to be routine is not. The drug dealers knew me, of course. Some even knew my name. But well, I put myself in the shoes of my colleagues who have been working on investigations for a year, and I needed to do my job as best I could so that their work had an impact on people and their own families.
OCON Sur operation that arrested drug trafficker Pantoja in Algeciras last year A.Carrasco Ragel (EFE)
Q How do you see the reorganization of the OCON, which has been divided into the different Andalusian commands?
R It was something that could not go on, it was necessary to do what was finally done. It was necessary to reinforce the command post units because the people who were in the OCON were people who came from others who went lame. The staff is limited. Pulling them from special units is a good job, but you’re screwing other units. Not everything is unimportant. THE BRAIN [el mando de inteligencia contra el narco que se creó a la par que OCON sur] keep going. It is important to talk about money laundering and international relations with other police forces, which has been done very well over the years.
Q The end of your phase coincided with investigations into former OCON boss David Oliva for alleged secret disclosure and bribery. How did you experience that?
R I cannot speak on this subject. I can’t answer the question, although I would like to.
Q Where do you think the drug trade in the straits is headed?
R One thing is clear: there is a supply, but also a demand in the drug trade. As long as the education of our children is not changed – I mean the general education of our adolescents – so that they are no longer interested in drugs… It arises from the desire for quick fun, hence its use. The drug is a way to get high quickly. It’s nothing else. Alcohol was slower, and now drugs guarantee that speed. As long as there is this demand, there will of course also be a supply, there will be people who devote themselves to it. And if we talk about hash, the supply is in Morocco and the demand is in Europe. If there were no demand, Morocco would not sell this drug. Although, of course, this solution is not the responsibility of the Guardia Civil. But it would be very important to be able to work with these young people and that this demand, if not disappearing, at least appears to be decreasing.
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