Vitoria Drug Ring Fraudsters Received €168,000 in Welfare

Vitoria Drug Ring Collected €168,000 in Social Benefits

How does one reconcile owning a Porsche Cayenne with receiving the Guaranteed Income Minimum (RGI)? With paperwork. The Ertzaintza operation that dismantled what is considered Vitoria's largest drug den leaves an uncomfortable accounting trail: five arrests, three of them brothers and none with known employment, two seized Cayennes, a new Golf GTD still unlocated, and at least three properties in the provincial capital. In parallel, a Lanbide file shows more than €168,000 in aid received by two suspects.

The investigation lasted 18 months and places the group's activity in Vitoria since 2014. According to neighbors, the apartment in the Coronación district received between 15 and 20 people daily. Merchandise and part of the cash were stored in another home in the Old Town, where €8,640 was found. Police estimates suggest net earnings of around €20,000 per month.

Who Received RGI and How Much

The driver of the Cayenne seen in the Buesa Arena parking lot during the March 20 Ramadan closure is one of the alleged masterminds. He was 44 years old and did not appear in any police database. Between May 2014 and July 2019, he received €56,102.28: €40,218.95 from RGI and €15,883.33 in rental assistance. Last year, he returned €2,058.13 for overpayment.

His brother, aged 57, began receiving the Basque subsidy in May 2012, shortly after settling in Álava. Two years later, he appeared in investigations for petty dealing that went nowhere. Except for a six-month interval, he has combined monthly RGI with rental aid ever since: €94,660.22 for the former and €17,615.82 for the latter. As of September 30, his file totaled €112,276.04.

Why Lanbide Does Not Cut Off Social Aid

Basque government regulations limit the withdrawal of these benefits to cases involving provisional imprisonment, a prison sentence, or arrest for fraud related to document falsification or hiding income and assets. All five were released with charges, passports confiscated, and required to appear periodically before the court. "And everything points to them continuing to collect," police sources admit.

Of the two women arrested, only one contributes through legal work. The other, aged 42, is part of a cohabitation unit: a relative receives the benefit, and she indirectly profits. Three of the five applied for and obtained aid; two applications were denied.

Raids and Missing Money

Raids yielded only 50 grams of cocaine and €8,640. No trace of the bulk amount. Therefore, the Ertzaintza suspects the earned money is sent to their country of origin, where the group allegedly owns more properties. The detainees were represented by a private lawyer brought from Bilbao.

The Buesa Arena episode has its nuances: the driver knew he was being watched and, judging by his gestures, seemed pleased with the attention. Seven months later, that same car was parked in the Portal de Foronda police station lot.

The question is not whether the system failed. It is how many more files await the same call.