A criminal lawyer in La Línea, whenever you need one
We answer arrest calls in the middle of the night and on Sundays. We go to the police station or the Guardia Civil post and are there for the first interview.
Criminal law · La Línea and the Gibraltar border
Criminal lawyers in La Línea de la Concepción.
Arrests at the frontier, tobacco and cash checks, drugs and house searches. We pick up day and night, by phone or WhatsApp, in English.
Talk to a lawyer today
Many criminal cases in La Línea start at the frontier: a customs check on the way back from Gibraltar, a few cartons of cigarettes, cash in the car. If you have been stopped or arrested, do not explain anything yet. Call us on +34 711 29 14 66 at any hour.
Written and reviewed by Jimena Sastre, criminal lawyer.
Updated on 4 October 2026.
Stopped at the frontier
Three forces work the border: the Guardia Civil, the Policía Nacional and Spanish customs (Vigilancia Aduanera). A customs check is not yet an arrest, but what you say there can end up in a police report.
Gibraltar residents and frontier workers
If you live or work on the Rock and the facts happened on the Spanish side, the case belongs to the Spanish courts. We run it in English and tell you well ahead of every date you need to attend.
What a Spanish judge can order
After arrest you go before the duty judge in La Línea, who decides how you wait for trial: free, free with conditions such as surrendering your passport or signing in at court, or in custody.
If you have just been stopped
At the border or in town.
You may stay silent, choose your own lawyer and have an interpreter. Nobody can be held for more than 72 hours without being brought before a judge.
- Do not explain where the goods or the cash came from until you have spoken to your lawyer.
- Note who stopped you: Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional or customs.
- Call us, or ask someone to call us, on +34 711 29 14 66.
- Read anything you are given before signing it. Do not sign what you do not understand.
Where to start
What happened?
Message us on WhatsApp or call, and we tell you what to do now.
I was stopped with tobacco at the border
Tobacco smuggling
Below 15,000 euros it is an administrative fine, not a criminal offence. We check how the tobacco was valued and whether separate seizures were added together.
I was carrying cash across
Cash from Gibraltar
Gibraltar is outside the European Union. Bringing in 10,000 euros or more without declaring it means a fine and the money being held, and a money laundering case if its source is doubted.
Drugs were found in a flat or garage
Storing drugs
Keeping drugs for someone else counts as trafficking even if you never sold any. We check the search warrant and who else could get in.
I am accused of resisting or assaulting an officer
Clashes with officers
Pushing, disobeying and assaulting an officer are different offences with very different sentences. We start with the police report and any footage or witnesses.
My car, home or money has been seized
Confiscation
In drugs and laundering cases the court can keep property whose source is not explained. We gather the paperwork that shows where each item came from.
I have been the victim of a crime
Victims
We go with you to report it, ask for a protection order if needed and claim compensation in the same trial.
Worth knowing
What the courts in La Línea see most.
Tobacco: where the line is
Tobacco smuggling becomes a crime from 15,000 euros in value. The value is worked out at Spanish shop prices, which are higher than what you paid in Gibraltar, so fewer cartons than you might think can cross that line.
Cannabis resin: when quantity matters
From 2.5 kilos of cannabis resin, the Spanish Supreme Court treats the amount as substantial and the sentence goes above three years. Net weight and the lab analysis are always worth challenging.
House searches
Police may enter a home with the occupant’s consent, a court order, or when a crime is being committed there and then. Evidence found without any of these may be thrown out.
A fine is not a criminal record
Paying an administrative fine for tobacco or undeclared cash leaves no criminal record. Only a conviction for a criminal offence does.
How we work
From your first message.
- 1
You call or message
We ask where the person is held and by whom, and give you our fee before we set off.
- 2
Station or Guardia Civil post
We meet the person in private and prepare their statement with them, or their silence.
- 3
Before the duty judge
We argue for release while the case goes on.
- 4
While it is investigated
We go through the report, the searches and the evidence, and challenge what was done wrong.
- 5
Deal or trial
We explain what each option means and decide with you.
FAQ
What people ask us in La Línea.
Can I get a criminal lawyer in La Línea at night?
Yes. For arrests we answer on +34 711 29 14 66 every day, at any hour. Everything else is handled in office hours.
Is it a crime to bring tobacco from Gibraltar?
Only if what you bring is worth 15,000 euros or more. Below that it is an administrative offence: a fine and loss of the tobacco. Doing it repeatedly can make things worse.
I live in Gibraltar and was arrested in La Línea. Which court deals with it?
If it happened in Spain, the Spanish courts. We defend you here and explain each step in English.
Can they keep my car?
They can hold it if it was used to carry the goods. If the car is worth far more than the goods, or belongs to someone else, you can ask for it back.
Can the police search my flat without a warrant?
Only with your consent or if a crime is being committed there at that moment. Otherwise they need a court order.
Do you also cover San Roque, Sotogrande and Algeciras?
Yes. We go to any court in the area and, when needed, anywhere else in Spain.
How much does a criminal lawyer in La Línea cost?
We quote the fee for police station assistance over the phone before we go. For the whole case you get a written quote.
Client reviews
What our clients say.
Jimena Sastre ha sido una excelente abogada de inmigración que me ha guiado durante todo el proceso de solicitud de la nacionalidad española. Ha sido profesional, amable, siempre dispuesta a responder mis preguntas y me ha orientado correctamente. Su enfoque hizo que mi solicitud fuera mucho más sencilla y sin estrés, y la recomiendo a otros expatriados/inmigrantes que necesiten asesoramiento y asistencia legal para sus solicitudes de residencia o nacionalidad.
El equipo de esta firma ,son sencillamente los mejores, muy profesionales, responsables, y de completa confianza. 200% recomendables!!
Todos hemos visto alguna vez pelis de abogados, que hacen milagros en los juzgados, y hemos pensado, que en la vida real estas cosas no pasan… Pero los de SyC lo consiguen. Solo puedo decirles Gracias por estar a mi lado siempre! En hora buena por vuestro trabajo!