English-Speaking Criminal Defence

Criminal Lawyers in Madrid

Expert English-speaking criminal defence in Madrid, Spain. RINBER Abogados available 24 hours a day.

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Madrid is Spain’s capital and its largest city — and it is also home to some of the country’s most complex and serious criminal proceedings. If you are a foreign national who has been arrested, charged or placed under investigation in Madrid, you need specialist criminal defence representation without delay.

RINBER Abogados Penalistas has a Madrid office and a team experienced in defending foreign nationals through every stage of the Spanish criminal justice system. We work in English and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Criminal Law in Madrid: The Court System

Madrid has one of the most complex judicial structures in Spain. Understanding which court is handling your case — and why — matters from day one.

The Audiencia Nacional, based in Madrid, is Spain’s most powerful criminal court. It has jurisdiction over cases that go beyond a single province, including large-scale drug trafficking operations, terrorism, major financial corruption and organised crime. If your case involves the Audiencia Nacional, you are facing the most serious level of criminal prosecution Spain has to offer.

The Audiencia Provincial de Madrid handles serious criminal cases within the Madrid province — including homicide, sexual offences, significant fraud and major drug trafficking at a local level. Below that, the Juzgados de lo Penal deal with lesser but still significant criminal matters, while Juzgados de Instrucción conduct the investigative phase for most cases.

Our lawyers are experienced across all levels of this system. We appear regularly before the Audiencia Nacional, the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid and the lower courts.

Types of Criminal Cases We Handle in Madrid

Madrid is a major European capital and an international hub — which means the full range of serious criminal activity is present. The cases we most frequently handle for foreign nationals in Madrid include:

• Financial crime and fraud: Investment fraud, corporate crime, tax fraud and money laundering cases are common in Madrid given its status as Spain’s financial centre. These cases often involve the Audiencia Nacional or specialist financial crime prosecutors.
• Drug trafficking: Madrid is one of Europe’s major drug transit hubs. Police and Guardia Civil anti-narcotics units are highly active, and arrests can happen very quickly following surveillance operations. Penalties under the Spanish Penal Code are severe.
• Cybercrime: Spain’s specialist cybercrime police units are based in Madrid. Cases involving online fraud, identity theft, hacking and related offences are dealt with at national level.
• Assault and violent offences: From altercations in the city to more serious violent incidents, we defend clients across the full spectrum of assault and violent crime charges.
• Terrorism and serious organised crime: Where cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Audiencia Nacional, our experience at that level is essential.

Why Foreign Nationals Need Specialist Representation

For any foreign national caught up in the Spanish criminal justice system, the challenges are significant. All proceedings — from police interviews to court hearings — are conducted in Spanish. All documents, charges, evidence and judicial decisions are in Spanish. If you cannot follow proceedings in real time and in detail, you cannot participate meaningfully in your own defence.

Beyond language, the Spanish system operates according to different procedural rules from those you may know at home. The right to remain silent is exercised differently. Pre-trial detention (prisión preventiva) is a real risk in serious cases. The investigating judge plays a role that has no direct equivalent in common law systems. These differences matter — and they are best navigated with a lawyer who understands both systems and can explain yours to you clearly.

RINBER has over 25 years of experience defending clients — including many foreign nationals — through Spanish criminal proceedings. We know how to protect your rights from the very first moment of contact with police or prosecutors.

RINBER’s Madrid Office

Our Madrid office allows us to attend hearings, court appearances, police station interviews and prosecutor meetings in person and without delay. We do not operate Madrid remotely or through a referral network — our own lawyers appear for you.

The firm was founded by Javier and Manuel Rincón Bernal and has been in operation since 1999, with our headquarters in Málaga and offices in Madrid and Marbella. We handle criminal cases across all of Spain and our Madrid team is fully integrated into the firm’s expertise and reputation.

The First 72 Hours After Arrest in Madrid

Under Spanish law, a detained person must be brought before an investigating judge within a maximum of 72 hours. This is a hard legal deadline — and the decisions made during those 72 hours can have a decisive impact on everything that follows.

During this period you have the right to a lawyer (abogado de confianza) — a lawyer of your own choosing, not one assigned to you. Exercising that right immediately, with a specialist, is the most important thing you can do. What you say — or do not say — in those first hours, and how it is recorded, can shape the outcome of your case for months or years to come.

Madrid’s specialist police units — the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía (CNP) and the Guardia Civil — are experienced and thorough investigators. You need experienced lawyers on your side from the moment of arrest.

Contact a Criminal Lawyer in Madrid

If you have been arrested or are under investigation in Madrid, contact RINBER immediately. We are available 24 hours a day and will respond at any time of day or night.

• Phone / WhatsApp: +34 627 467 042 — available 24 hours
• Online: Send us a confidential message

We will advise you immediately on your rights, your options and your next steps. All consultations are strictly confidential.

Madrid’s Criminal Courts: What Foreign Nationals Need to Know

Criminal cases in Madrid are handled by the Juzgados de Instrucción de Madrid (located in the Plaza de Castilla complex) for the investigative phase, and by the Audiencia Provincial de Madrid for trial of serious offences. Madrid also hosts the Audiencia Nacional — Spain’s national court with jurisdiction over terrorism, large-scale drug trafficking, organised crime, and extradition cases from across the country.

Key investigative units active in Madrid include:

• UDEF Central (Unidad Central de Delitos Económicos y Fiscales) — Spain’s main financial crime unit, headquartered in Madrid and handling the country’s most significant fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion investigations
• UDYCO Central — drug and organised crime investigations at national level
• UCO (Unidad Central Operativa of the Guardia Civil) — elite investigative unit handling organised crime, narcotics, and high-profile cases that frequently result in arrests of foreign nationals
• Fiscalía Anticorrupción — the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, based in Madrid, leads prosecutions of major economic crimes

Common Criminal Charges for Foreign Nationals in Madrid

• Financial crime and fraud: Madrid is Spain’s financial capital. Foreign executives, investors, and business owners face exposure to fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion charges. UDEF investigations often involve months of surveillance before arrests are made.
• Drug trafficking: Madrid’s Barajas airport is one of Europe’s busiest for narcotics seizures. Many foreign nationals are arrested as drug couriers or in connection with supply networks. Sentences under Art. 368 CP start at 3 years and can reach 9+ for aggravated cases.
• Cybercrime: international fraud operations, phishing schemes, and cryptocurrency theft are increasingly prosecuted in Madrid, with defendants sometimes unaware of the full criminal nature of their involvement.
• Domestic violence: allegations between foreign couples living in Madrid. Protective orders can be issued by the Juzgado de Violencia sobre la Mujer within hours, including expulsion from the shared home.
• Euroorden / European Arrest Warrant: foreign nationals detained in Madrid on warrants issued by other EU states. RINBER has extensive extradition defence experience before the Audiencia Nacional.

What to Do If Arrested in Madrid

If you are arrested by the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil in Madrid, you will normally be taken to one of the main police stations: the Jefatura Superior de Policía (calle Miguel Ángel), a Comisaría de Distrito, or — for serious cases — UDYCO or UDEF facilities. You have the right to inform a family member or trusted person of your arrest, and the right to a lawyer of your choice from the first moment.

Do not make any statement to police — in any language — before speaking with your lawyer. Even informal conversation with officers can be used as evidence. Call RINBER immediately on +34 627 467 043: we are available 24 hours a day and will attend any police facility in Madrid.