One of the men who has accompanied the ultra agitator Vito Quiles as a bodyguard in his public acts was arrested last September in Romania for his alleged involvement in cocaine trafficking. The investigated individual, identified by the initials I. A. L., was remanded in provisional detention by order of a Romanian judge after a joint operation by the Civil Guard and the country's police.
The arrested man is the one who carried Quiles on his shoulders during his visit to the University of Granada on October 22, 2025. That image, with the ultra agitator waving a Spanish flag before demonstrators opposed to his presence, was widely disseminated on social media.
The relationship between the detainee and Quiles has now come to light through an investigation by elDiario.es. The arrest occurred more than a month ago, within the framework of ongoing investigations into an alleged organization dedicated to international drug trafficking.
According to the published information, the Romanian Prosecutor's Office attributes to I. A. L. the reception of two kilograms of cocaine that a Spanish citizen allegedly transported to Romania. Investigators claim that he was arrested in the town of Florești when he was allegedly negotiating the sale of the drug for 67,000 euros.
The man is being investigated for crimes related to international and domestic trafficking of high-risk drugs. His provisional detention is a measure agreed upon during the procedure, and the judicial investigation will determine his eventual criminal responsibility.
The operation against the drug network
The arrest is part of Operation Vectus, carried out by the Civil Guard of Jaén and Romanian authorities against an alleged drug trafficking network with connections in several European countries. The operation allowed for the seizure of 83 kilograms of marijuana, two kilograms of cocaine, and a firearm.
In Romania, a 47-year-old Spanish citizen was also arrested, identified by investigators as the person who allegedly transported the cocaine to the country. The investigations, which have included actions in Hungary, date back to 2024 and remain open.
When the investigated individual appeared with Quiles in Granada in October 2025, the Civil Guard of Jaén was already tracking him, according to sources close to the case cited by the newspaper that revealed the news. The operation was then under secrecy.
That day, the ultra agitator had summoned his followers in the vicinity of the Faculty of Law. His presence provoked a concentration of anti-fascist groups and a deployment of the National Police to keep both groups separated. Quiles remained outside the university, surrounded by people accompanying him, including the man now under investigation in Romania.
Another companion linked to neo-Nazi circles
The arrest once again puts the spotlight on the entourage that accompanies the ultra agitator during his travels. In November 2025, journalist Antonio Maestre reported that another man who had protected Quiles at several events was linked to neo-Nazi circles and had been photographed wearing a t-shirt with a swastika.
That companion had been related, according to the information disseminated then, to the environment of Suburbios Firm, an ultra group investigated in a police operation for alleged drug trafficking. This is a different person from the one arrested in Romania and a separate investigation from Operation Vectus.
In recent months, Quiles has traveled to different cities and universities with calls that have brought together followers and detractors and have caused moments of tension. His presence also generated protests at the housing encampment in Puerta del Sol, in Madrid.
The known information places I. A. L. alongside the ultra agitator in public acts and attributes to him an alleged participation in the operation investigated in Romania. There is no record that Vito Quiles is being investigated for these events or that he participated in the activities attributed to the detainee.
