Spain has arrested the police chief responsible for the nation’s economic crimes unit after €20 million was discovered hidden in the walls of his home. The arrest of Óscar Sánchez Gil, along with 15 other individuals—including his partner, who is also a police officer—comes as part of an ongoing investigation into Spain’s largest-ever cocaine seizure.

Sánchez Gil, who until recently headed the national police’s fraud and anti-money laundering division, was detained last week. Authorities reportedly found €20 million concealed in the walls and ceilings of his home in Alcala de Henares, a town east of Madrid. An additional €1 million was also discovered locked away in his office. The arrested individuals face charges related to drug trafficking, money laundering, bribery, corruption, and participation in a criminal organization.

The arrests are connected to the discovery last month of 13 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a cargo container of bananas shipped from Ecuador to Spain’s southern port of Algeciras. This bust, the second largest ever recorded in Europe, is part of a broader investigation into the operation of international drug trafficking networks. Spanish police said the shipment had been flagged for inspection because the Ecuadorian exporter had a history of illicit activities.

Following the cocaine bust, authorities conducted searches of multiple homes and offices in Madrid and Alicante, uncovering connections between the cocaine traffickers and Sánchez Gil. Media reports suggest that Sánchez Gil, previously a member of the national police’s narcotics division, initially made contact with criminal organizations while purportedly working to combat drug trafficking. Over time, however, he is believed to have helped these drug gangs evade police detection, particularly in smuggling cocaine from Ecuador.

Police sources confirmed that the €20 million seized from Sánchez Gil’s home was not linked to the recent cocaine bust, but instead represented profits from his years of collaboration with criminal networks. Spanish authorities suggest the money was accumulated through his illicit activities, which reportedly began during his tenure in narcotics enforcement.

The discovery of the massive cocaine shipment, which was intended for distribution across Europe, comes amid increasing concerns over the growing influx of hard drugs entering European ports from Latin America. Narcotics police chief António Jesús Martínez noted that the drugs were destined for wider distribution throughout Europe, which has seen a significant rise in smuggling operations in recent years.

Struggling to sleep due to stress about upcoming tasks may be more common than you think, but a new study suggests that writing a to-do list before bed could be a simple yet effective solution.

In a study conducted at Baylor University in the U.S., participants who wrote a to-do list before bed fell asleep faster than those who wrote about what they had accomplished that day. The results were clear: the group writing a list of tasks for the following day and beyond fell asleep an average of nine minutes quicker.

Dr. Michael Scullin, director of the Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory at Baylor, led the research and used a method called polysomnography to confirm sleep patterns. This technique, which tracks brainwaves and other bodily functions, found that the to-do list group experienced quicker sleep onset compared to the group who reflected on their completed tasks.

The study’s findings can be attributed to a psychological mechanism called “cognitive offloading.” This is when individuals reduce mental stress by taking physical action, like writing down thoughts, to make mental tasks easier. By writing a to-do list, individuals can reduce the mental burden of trying to remember and process tasks when they should be winding down. The process of transferring tasks from the mind to paper helps to organize thoughts and provides reassurance that the tasks are not forgotten.

Christine Syrek, a researcher from the University of Trier, studied employees at a German IT company and found that individuals with unfinished work at the end of the week were more likely to ruminate on work-related problems over the weekend. This “perseverative cognition” worsened sleep quality, suggesting that unresolved tasks are a significant contributor to sleep disturbances. Syrek’s findings indicated that the perception of incomplete tasks could have a lingering impact on sleep, even more so than time pressures at work.

Dr. Scullin’s study, although not large, supports the idea that offloading tasks before bedtime can significantly reduce the cognitive load. His research found that participants who wrote longer to-do lists, with more than 10 specific tasks, fell asleep even faster—up to 15 minutes quicker than those who didn’t write any list. The more comprehensive the list, the better the results, as it provided a clearer structure for handling the upcoming workload.

While it may feel like an added effort when you’re already tired, taking the time to write down your tasks before bed could help ease anxiety and lead to better sleep. So, next time you’re struggling to drift off, consider creating a detailed to-do list—your brain may thank you for it.