Greenhouse gangsters arrested in Almeria

POLICE raided two marihuana greenhouses and set the stashes alight in the latest incarnation of Operation Choclo.

Properties in Tabernas and La Canada were targeted as armed Guardia Civil officers made two arrests and seized €6,000 in cash, 494 marihuana plants and complex growing equipment. 

It was the latest flash in a province-wide crackdown that has seen police seize thousands of plants and dozens of kilos prepared marihuana. All the targets have been part of the same criminal enterprise, which has tentacles stretching across Spain and the European mainland. 

The two dealers arrested in this latest raid are suspected of masterminding smuggling operations across the continent. They are also charged with siphoning off thousands of euros worth of electricity to power the enormous plantations.