Catalonia, Out of Control: 70 Shootings and 400 Firearms Seized in 2024

The increase in thefts, fights, squatting, stabbings, and sexual assaults was the first indicator that something was wrong in Catalonia. But it has been the rise in homicides and shootings related to organized crime that has definitively raised the alarms.

2024 was the year of a significant surge in violence in a Catalonia already heavily affected by the rise in crime. The Mossos recorded a total of 69 shootouts, which means 5 shootings per month and a 23% increase compared to the previous year. They also seized 445 weapons, representing a 14% increase compared to 2023.

Of the seized weapons, 21 were war weapons. This data highlights the dangerousness of the violence that has erupted in Catalonia. Catalans are no longer just exposed daily to crime but also to the unleashed violence of drug wars.

2025, On the Way to a Record

To the 2024 data, we must add the succession of shootings and homicides carried out by clans and mafias so far this year. The situation in neighborhoods like La Mina or San Cosme is concerning, but also in cities like Badalona or L'Hospitalet. In January, there was a movie-like shootout with more than 200 shots, and five homicides in five days.

Just recently, a double shooting in Terrassa left one dead and one injured next weekend. The police are investigating it as a settling of scores between Dominican gangs over drugs. The drug war has intensified in recent months in Catalonia.

In 2023, there were eleven homicides with a gun in Catalonia, and seven in 2024. This year, there have already been three in just two months. According to the Catalan regional police, all these homicides are linked to drug trafficking.

Another concerning aspect is the proliferation of firearms, which were an exception two years ago and have now become normalized. 45% of the seized weapons are pistols, while 55% are long guns. The Interior Ministry has invested more than 1M euros in a specific plan against firearms.

Mafias Take Over Catalonia

The situation is concerning because Catalonia is gradually approaching the situation of other places like Marseille or Sweden. At the moment, the police have no doubt that Catalonia is now one of the epicenters of organized crime in Europe. The reason lies in the consolidation of marijuana cultivation over the last decade and the mafia wars for control of this market.

The Mossos warn of the installation in Catalonia of the world's most dangerous mafias fighting for territory. These gangs use long guns like AK-47s, typical of criminal paradises like Mexico and Colombia.

The greatest concern is that Catalonia might end up becoming like Sweden, where violence has completely escaped the control of the authorities. Partly because criminal gangs use inexperienced minors to carry out assaults, and often the situation gets out of hand. There have already been several civilians killed collaterally by the gang war there, and this is the greatest fear of the Catalan authorities right now.