Madrid police seize 1,235 bladed weapons in Q2, a 13% jump driven by cheap online imports
The National Police confiscated 1,235 knives, machetes and other bladed weapons across the Madrid region between April and June 2026, a 12.99% increase from the same quarter last year, as cheap online imports fuel a spike in street violence.
Recent stabbings prompt crackdown
Over the past month, Madrid has witnessed a series of blade attacks that forced the National Police to step up controls. On 29 June, a 35-year-old man was seriously injured in a stabbing at Plaza de Arturo Barea in Lavapiés. In mid-June, another attack left a 49-year-old man gravely wounded on Calle Santa Bárbara in the Centro district. In early July, a 37-year-old man with a police record was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide after he stabbed a man in the abdomen in Usera. These incidents, police said, reflect a pattern that justified reinforcing prevention operations and intensifying patrols in high-risk zones.
- A 49-year-old man is stabbed and seriously injured in a home on Calle Santa Bárbara, Centro district.
- A 35-year-old man is gravely wounded in a knife attack at Plaza de Arturo Barea, Lavapiés.
- A 37-year-old man is arrested for attempted homicide after stabbing a man in the abdomen in Usera.
Seizures climb across the region
On 10 July, the Madrid Police Headquarters released data showing that officers had confiscated 1,235 bladed weapons in the region during the second quarter of 2026. That is a 12.99% increase from the 1,093 recorded in the same period of 2025. The figure works out to almost 14 weapons seized per day. For the whole of 2025, the same force had already seized 5,337 weapons and dangerous objects, of which 4,526 were bladed (an average of 420 per month).
District hotspots and Metro surge
The district station of Usera-Villaverde led all others with 161 confiscations, followed by Puente de Vallecas (115) and Alcalá de Henares (102). Centro recorded 74 and Carabanchel 67. Some units saw dramatic increases: the Metro Section of the Mobile Brigade seized 29 weapons, up from 11 the year before (a 163% rise). Villa de Vallecas jumped 126% (from 15 to 34) and Pozuelo de Alarcón climbed 125% (from 4 to 9). To manage crowds during patron-saint and district fiestas, police mounted 18 special security operations at events such as San Isidro in Madrid and the celebrations in Torrejón de Ardoz, Parla and Getafe.
Military-style knives and automatic blades
Police data highlight a sharp rise in the most dangerous categories. Confiscations of military or imitation knives and machetes grew nearly 28%, from 177 in Q2 2025 to 226 this year. Automatic knives (banned in Spain since 1993) surged 68%, from 31 to 52. The force is paying special attention to these weapons during routine checks and festival security deployments.
- Total (Q2 2025)
- 1093 weapons
- Total (Q2 2026)
- 1235 weapons
- Military/imitation (Q2 2025)
- 177 weapons
- Military/imitation (Q2 2026)
- 226 weapons
- Automatic knives (Q2 2025)
- 31 weapons
- Automatic knives (Q2 2026)
- 52 weapons
Cheap online pipeline
According to police sources cited by El Mundo, many of the seized blades are bought on Chinese e-commerce platforms and second-hand sites like Milanuncios. Advertisements often disguise them as "tools" or "kitchen utensils" to slip through customs. A tactical machete can cost 20–30 euros, while an automatic knife starts at around 30 euros.
While firearms are intercepted at customs, not all bladed weapons are detected because of the enormous volume of daily orders.
Sellers routinely add disclaimers instructing buyers to comply with local laws, but investigators say the low prices and easy access make these weapons available to anyone intent on violence.
