The new chief prosecutor of Gipuzkoa, Mercedes Bautista, has outlined the main strategies she will implement during her five-year term, having completed one month in office. Among these, strengthening international cooperation is paramount, given that crimes have transcended borders and are no longer solely national.
Bautista highlighted a significant volume of cross-border drug trafficking passing through Irun towards Hendaia and Biriatu, which is not being adequately detected. She advocates for further strengthening the already fluid international cooperation with France to tackle this problem, which continues to grow year after year.
“"There is a lot of cross-border drug trafficking, and we detect very little."
Issues such as gender violence, trafficking of protected species, and economic crimes also gain special relevance in this cross-border context. Bautista had previously worked in these areas as the delegate for International Coordination and will continue to prioritize them.
Regarding economic crimes, the chief prosecutor explained that many scams are transnational, with victims in Gipuzkoa and perpetrators in other countries. Therefore, tools are being sought to curb these situations, often linked to money laundering. She also warned about the increase in cases of opening bank accounts using innocent people's IDs for money laundering.
In the local sphere, Bautista mentioned the fight against gender violence, advocating for measures to protect victims, such as pre-constituting their statements as evidence during the investigation phase. She also promoted holding more fast-track trials to address crimes occurring in Gipuzkoa during the summer, due to the large number of visitors.
