Fact Check: Is Gangs of Galicia based on a true story? Explained 

Netflix added Gangs of Galicia to its library on June 21, 2024. Produced by Vaca Films, and directed by Roger Gual, the first season of this Spanish thriller stars Clara Logo, Tamar Novas, and Melania Cruz among others.

Gangs of Galicia is not completely based on a true story, rather it is inspired by true events as confirmed via Tudum by Netflix.

The plot of this Spanish thriller revolves around Ana Gonsàlez, who comes to Galicia, to avenge her father’s death, delve into cartel secrets, and know the truth. The official synopsis of Ganga of Galicia as per Rotten Tomatoes reads as -

"The arrival of Ana, a lawyer seeking redemption and a new beginning in the Galician town of Cambados, awakens the interest of Daniel, the son of an influential drug trafficker and leader of the Padín clan."

Gangs of Galicia was mainly shot in the country of Spain. Season one of the show consisted of seven episodes and holds a formidable IMDb rating of 6.3/10. Netflix has not renewed this show for a second season to date.

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Is Gangs Of Galicia based on a true story?

Stills from Gangs of Galicia (Image by Netflix)

As we already know, this Spanish TV series is not based on a true story but rather inspired by one.

Events of Gangs of Galicia go back to the late 90’s and are linked to the Galician mafia. Because of a declining fishing industry, the fishermen in Galicia would initially smuggle tobacco, to make extra money. After they saw the initial success in smuggling tobacco, the Galician mafia found a swift way to smuggle drugs into the country, via the waterways.

One of the clans, involved in this drug business was Clan De Los Charlines. Manuel Charlin Gama was the father of this clan. Manuel Charlin Gama and his son Melchor used to smuggle cocaine from Portugal via waterways. This illegal drug trade led to their arrest in August 2018. Manuel Charlin Gama died on December 31, 2021.

The operation to bust them was called Operation Necora, which was carried out by Javier Zaragoza, Baltsar Garzón, and Luciano Varela.

On the show, a similar operation named Operation Rat Trap is implemented to arrest Padín, Daniel's father. Padin gets arrested after his sideman Silva rats him out to the police. In summary, the show draws inspiration from actual occurrences, but all of the characters are fictional.

The drug lords and traffickers in Galicia maintain a low profile while operating the cartel industry in the present.

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Who stars in Gangs of Galicia?

Clara Lago stars as an attorney named Ana in Gangs of Galicia. Lago has previously appeared in films like The Hidden Face (2011), The Hanged Man (2008), and The Commuter (2018) among others.

Alongside Lago, Tamar Novas stars as Daniel in this show. Novas is a Spanish actor helming from Santiago de Compostela, Spain. He has previously been a part of movies and shows like The Key Game (2022), Elisa and Marcela (2019), and more. Apart from Logo and Novas, Miguel de Lira stars as Padin, Diego Anido as Samuel, and Chechu Salgado as Toño among a few others.

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Gangs of Galicia is now streaming on Netflix.