Four-year prison sentence upheld for reserve Guardia Civil officer for selling cocaine at work

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The ruling from Andalucía's high court upholds the sentence handed down by Malaga's provincial court and raises concerns about drug use within the Guardia Civil in Melilla

Europa Press

Friday, 3 April 2026, 10:20

The civil and criminal chamber of Andalucía's high court (the TSJA), which includes Ceuta and Melilla, has sentenced a Guardia Civil officer from the reserve unit to four years in prison for a crime against public health after proving that he sold cocaine from inside the Guardia Civil's main command in Melilla, mostly whilst in the canteen or nearby, according to the judgement.

This ruling upholds the sentence handed down by the provincial court of Malaga. That ruling had already proven that the accused acted in partnership with a friend from outside the force, who was also sentenced to four years in prison. They were caught dealing between the end of 2021 and the first months of 2022.

According to the established facts, both were engaged in distributing small quantities of cocaine to officers stationed at the Melilla headquarters of the Guardia Civil and to third parties outside the force. Deliveries were made primarily at the staff canteen, within the Guardia Civil barracks, as well as in the surrounding area.

The investigation concluded that his friend and accomplice acquired the drugs at various locations throughout the city and then delivered them to the reserve officer. He, in turn, then distributed them among several Guardia Civil officers and other buyers. Contact was made through phone calls, text messages and in-person meetings within the barracks.

Among the incidents detailed in the sentence was the delivery of several doses of cocaine to other officers in December 2021 and February 2022, as well as an operation carried out on 11 February 2022, when the reserve officer was observed receiving drugs from his friend and delivering them minutes later to another buyer inside the staff canteen. The seized substance weighed 0.82 grams with a purity of 70.2 per cent.

Also, on 9 March 2022, both defendants again carried out another deal near these headquarters in Melilla. Shortly thereafter they were arrested with 0.4 grams of cocaine with a purity of 71.9 per cent. The judgement acquitted another Guardia Civil officer who had also been prosecuted, but his participation in the events was not proven.

For these criminal deeds, the reserve officer was initially sentenced to five years in prison and fined 125 euros, but the TSJA agreed to reduce the sentence by one year, disregarding the evidence from security cameras installed in the canteen by the Guardia Civil itself, which had its own suspicions about drug-dealing activity. Furthermore, the high court ordered the confiscation of the drugs, money, mobile phones and the vehicle used for transportation.

The prosecution also requested of the court that the Guardia Civil officers summoned as witnesses in the trial for allegedly buying cocaine from their former colleague and who had denied the allegations, be charged with allegedly committing perjury.

The investigation against the reserve officer and his friend was carried out by the organic unit of the judicial police from the Guardia Civil's main command in Melilla.