Central Operative Unit

Central Operative Unit
Unidad Central Operativa (Spanish)
Emblem of the UCO
Active	1987-present
Country	Spain
Agency	Civil Guard
Abbreviation	UCO
Structure
Agents	550[1]

The Central Operative Unit (

The main crimes that the UCO investigates are:[2]

• Economic crimes, including frauds, counterfeit money and smuggling
  .
• Drugs trafficking
  .
• Money laundering.
• Homicides and kidnappings.
• Crimes against the national heritage sites.
• Telematics crimes.
• Crimes against the environment, including trafficking of endangered species.
• Medicaments
  trafficking.
• Smuggling of valuable objects.
• hazardous goods
  trafficking.
• Human trafficking.
• Vehicles
  smuggling.

Also, the UCO has the duty to realize investigations ordered by a judge, a court or a prosecutor.

Structure

• Commander of the Unit (a Civil Guard Colonel).
  • Department of Technical and Operational Support.
  • Department of Criminal Investigation specialized in General Delinquency.
  • Department of Criminal Investigation specialized in
    Economic
    and Technological Delinquency.
  • Department of Criminal Investigation specialized in
    Drug Trafficking and Smuggling
    .
  • Unit attached to the Anti-Drug Special Attorney's Office.
  • Unit attached to the Anti-Corruption Special Attorney's Office.
  • Teams Against Organized Crime (ECO), six teams through the country.

• February 27, 1994. Release of Maria Àngels Feliu after 492 days kidnapped.
• July 23, 2007. Arrest of Jaime Giménez Arbe (known as "The Loner") in Figueira da Foz, Portugal.
• October 27, 2009. The dismantling of a
  Santa Coloma de Gramanet
  and other former public officials were arrested.
• October 27, 2014. The dismantling of a corruption plot called "Púnica Case".^[3]
• July 18, 2017. The dismantling of a corruption plot in the Royal Spanish Football Federation.^[4]

See also

• General Commissariat of Judiciary Police
• Spanish Intelligence Community
• National Police Corps

References