Police have seized 21 kilograms of heroin in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria after uncovering a new trafficking route from the Canary Islands to mainland Spain.

Four people had travelled from Toledo to collect the drugs before allegedly planning to transport them to the mainland in hire cars. Officers caught the two couples exchanging the heroin in a hotel café in broad daylight. The drugs had been placed inside supermarket carrier bags and concealed in a suitcase.

All four suspects were arrested and have been remanded in custody.

Police described the operation as an important development in the fight against heroin trafficking because it exposed a previously unknown route through the Canary Islands.

Heroin seizures in Spain rose sharply last year. Police confiscated 66 kilograms in 2025, compared with approximately eight kilograms in 2024.

The investigation remains ongoing as officers work to establish the full extent of the trafficking network.