Almeria drug bust breaks up ‘mafia’ in El Poniente

Police have arrested 45 people and confiscated thousands of plants in Almeria drug bust

The Almeria Civil Guard have in excess of 100 officers to break up a criminal group and seize more than 25 kilos of drugs. With the support of drug and money detection dogs, evidence has been found to facilitate the arrest of 45 people in the province. The alleged crimes include belonging to an organized gang, illegal possession of weapons, endangering public health, and fraud of electricity. 

A complex network of houses used as ‘grow farms’ for marijuana have been identified and taken out of action. The police entered and searched 43 separate properties to gather evidence for the charges. They were located in El Ejido, Roquetas de Mar, and Vicar. As a result, a total of 5,677 marijuana plants, 25,000 grams of buds, 32,000 euros in cash, three firearms (two pistols and a rifle reported as stolen in Puerto Lumbreras), a large amount of ammunition and 17 vehicles, as reported by La Voz de Almeria. 

Within the grow farm houses, 89 illegal connections to the electricity grid were discovered. Drug farmers create these ‘free’ links to the grid to maximise the yield of their crop but they are unstable and carry a great risk to the surrounding houses. Police have made safe these links and reported each one to the relevant electricity companies.

This bust comes as part of the fight against the trafficking, production and cultivation of narcotics in the province of Almeria. All the evidenceof the Almeria drug bust has been gathered to be presented to the Examining Court number five of Almeria, and the detainees remain in custody.

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