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CostaBlancaPeople 23rd - 29th May 2023
23rd - 29th MaY 2023 - edition 993
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Your Essential Weekly read
Civil Guard shuts seven cannabis clubs in Torrevieja
the torrevieja Civil Guard has dismantled a network of cannabis clubs that were found to be fronts for selling drugs in the town. in the same operation, 19 people – aged between 25 and 69 years of age - were arrested. those detained included Britrish and irish nationals, as well as people from Spain, Sweeden, norway, Germany, Lithuania and Chile. all have been charged with crimes against public health, illegal possession of weapons and belonging to a criminal gang. officers confiscated: 9,338 kilos of marijuana, 1,276 kilos of hashish, 30 grams of cocaine, 32 litres of liquid cannabis, 42 marijuana plants, 60 cannisters with liquid cannabis, various prohibited weapons and over €10,000 in cash. in addition, the operation included
ten searches of premises and homes which uncovered a clandestine hashish lab, where cannabis-derived products were made, such as chocolates, cookies, resins, oils, and drinks. Police sources said that the seven clubs involved in the investigation have been closed for a period of five years, as a preventive measure “to guarantee the safety and well-being of the community”.
Increase in crime the investigation began after the Civil Guard detected an increase in offences related to the consumption and possession of drugs in specific areas of torrevieja. among those caught were minors and foreign tourists.the operation was carried out during the months of March and april and police
identified “a common pattern in areas where there wasa nearby cannabis associations”. Cannabis clubs are legal in Spain so long as people are members and consume their own marijuana at registered premises, where the selling of drugs is strictly prohibited. those responsible for running the seven clubs had started their activities under the guise of non-profit associations, however it was discovered that several of them had police records related to drug trafficking. they were systematically failing to comply with the regulations of this type of association and were blatantly exceeding the amount of marijuana allowed per member, consumption was not limited to the interior of the premises, and they did not keep records of the origin of
the drug. Four of them were not even registered as required in the national registry of associations.
the investigations led to the discovery that these clubs did not limit their activity to their members, but also sold drugs to those under age and were even ‘recommended’ for foreign tourists. the Civil Guard soon realised that the associations being investigatedwere mere fronts designed to give an appearance of legality to the cultivation and distribution of drugs.