Former Russian Soldier Arrested in Spain With 644 Guns in €5 Million Crime Arsenal

Spanish police have dismantled an illegal firearms operation in Catalonia allegedly led by a 63-year-old former Russian soldier, seizing 644 weapons, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and multiple silencers.

According to Spain’s National Police and Europa Press on September 10, the suspect was responsible for the technical side of the operation and worked from a concealed workshop in Figueres, in Girona province, where blank-firing and trauma weapons were converted into functional firearms.

Police said investigators found submachine guns and rifles at different stages of modification, along with barrels, bolts, frames, and other weapon components. The seized arsenal was valued at approximately €5 million on the black market.

The weapons were allegedly distributed to other criminal organizations, including groups linked to drug trafficking and kidnappings. Investigators said parcels were sent through courier services using false or stolen identities in an effort to conceal those involved.

According to Europa Press, the investigation began in early 2026 after authorities detected a series of suspicious shipments originating in Spain’s Valencia region and being sent to other parts of the country.

In June, police intercepted one parcel containing a handgun, a submachine gun, a silencer, and a high-capacity drum magazine. Subsequent arrests helped investigators trace the distribution network and identify the workshop in Figueres.

A key development came on August 25, when officers intercepted another package containing a submachine gun with its serial number removed. Surveillance later connected the shipment to a storage facility used as the illegal workshop.

Six people were arrested during searches in Girona, Valencia, Badajoz, and Barcelona. The suspected head of the network remains in custody.

In February 2026, Belgian authorities arrested Viktor Labin, a suspected Russian GRU operative accused of supplying coordinate-measuring machines used by Russia’s defense industry. According to The Insider, his company allegedly helped channel military equipment to Russian contractors linked to at least 18 defense enterprises.

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