Drugs

Guardia Civil dismantle organization in Granada that distributed large consignments of marijuana in Europe

30 people have been arrested and more than 13,000 marijuana plants, high-end vehicles, as well as numerous firearms have been seized. In addition, movable and immovable property, valued at about one and a half million euros, have been blocked from the organization

The organization had two Growshop (establishments dedicated to the advice and sale of products for the cultivation of cannabis), which supplied the other members of the organization with everything necessary for the cultivation of marijuana

The Guardia Civil, within the framework of operation Castrum, has dismantled an organization that cultivated, trafficked and transported large quantities of marijuana to Europe, detaining 30 people and seizing more than 13,000 marijuana plants, weapons, luxury vehicles and money. In addition, movable and immovable property valued at 1,463,000 euros and bank accounts have been blocked and intervened.

The operation began when the Guardia Civil learned that in a campsite located in Cañete la Real, marijuana was being grown on a large scale, with an intensive production system and that behind these crops would be an Albanian-Spanish organization. For this reason, the agents proceeded to make 8 entries and searches at the campsite where numerous plants were intervened whose production was destined for Europe, but especially the Netherlands.

Continuing with the investigations, the agents located another point located in Moraleda de Zafayona, which was used by the organization for the intensive production of the drug with abundant, expensive and sophisticated material. It should be noted that in charge of this plantation they had a person locked up without leaving and to whom they brought food. For this reason, two people were arrested.

Subsequently, the agents were able to verify that the organization had a complex, powerful and diversified system that, through its “Growshop” company structure (legal companies selling products for growing marijuana), allowed it to subcontract through leasing the logistics infrastructure installed to other members of the lower echelons. In this way, the organization benefited from the entire operation since:

  • They germinated seeds of the cannabis plant for sale, along with the equipment.
  • They installed equipment, through leasing, and when production germinated they took part of the benefits
  • They had their own indoor crops, where they left people without resources in charge of the plantations

Finally, the production went to other countries in Europe, mainly the Netherlands. Once the operation of the organization and its members was known, 28 houses and premises were entered and searched, located in the belt of the city of Granada, among these were two “Growshop”. For these records, Endesa operators collaborated to document and report on electrical fraud.

In the records carried out, 1.5 kilograms of packaged marijuana were intervened, 9,494 plants, around 19,210 germinated and ungerminated seeds, 64,000 euros, 7 vehicles, 7 firearms, abundant material for indoor plantings, jewelry, documentation and proceeded to arrest 28 people.

It should be noted that in one of the registries the organization had a home, located in Alfacar, which served as a laboratory, where they had the cannabis seeds of the different varieties (with different psychoactive and psychotropic effects) that once applied to the same natural germination processes grew to an optimal size for sale, thus accelerating indoor cannabis production. These germinations in terms of quantity and variety were made to order and were dated, numbered and classified by clients. This laboratory produced 4,000 plants a week.