Zapatero caught using prepaid phones like drug traffickers and terrorists

Former Spanish PM Zapatero's use of prepaid mobiles sparks debate: a security strategy against surveillance, or a tactic to dodge judicial oversight? We break it down.

English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published

Zapatero caught using prepaid phones like drug traffickers and terrorists
Zapatero and prepaid phones: security or suspicion?

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's use of prepaid phones and analog devices has sparked a heated debate on the forum. Revelations about his communications with businessmen under investigation shine a spotlight on the opacity of the channels used by Spain's political elite and the alleged institutional protection from judicial probes.

What's at stake

  • The core of the debate: Leaked documentation suggests Zapatero used old phones with no internet connection and prepaid SIM cards as his sole means of communication with key figures in the Plus Ultra case, disposing of the devices after each meeting.
  • The sustancia ilegal: The thread splits between those who see this as behavior typical of incivil organizations to evade police monitoring, and those who consider it a "political survival" technique in the face of constant surveillance.
  • The detail nobody expected: The disparity in judicial action: while the former PM's inner circle has faced raids and device seizures, the UDEF (Spain's economic crime police unit) did not clone Zapatero's phone due to a lack of explicit authorization from the judge, raising alarms about possible preferential treatment.

What forum users are saying about Zapatero using prepaid phones like drug traffickers and terrorists

Position A: One section of the forum argues that this behavior is, to say the least, revealing of "opaque activity" unbecoming of a former head of state. For these users, the use of obsolete technology to avoid a digital trail is definitive proof that the political class plays by different rules than ordinary citizens.​
Position B: Other users inject a cynical factor: they argue that if Zapatero ran in an election tomorrow, he would still get millions of votes. Here the debate shifts toward sociological resignation, suggesting that Spanish voters have normalized these practices or simply ignore them altogether.​
Position C: There is a current of technical skepticism questioning whether Zapatero is the real strategist behind this "analog encryption," or whether he is simply carrying out instructions from advisers who know the blind spots of today's police investigations inside out.​

Why this thread won't leave you indifferent

This thread dissects the gap between the official media narrative and the reality of an investigation that seems to have "armored doors." If forum users' skepticism about Zapatero's phone not being cloned has any basis, we may be looking at proof of how power protects itself in today's Spain.


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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (23 replies).

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