FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Spanish police have busted a criminal group that managed several marijuana plantations spread across Catalonia, with the epicenter of their operations in Mataró. The operation, which took place last Thursday, involved simultaneous police actions in several cities such as Tarragona, Sant Iscle de Vallalta, Malgrat de Mar, Cervelló and Matadepera.
Eight people were arrested from the operation, among them the main leaders of the group, most of them of Albanian nationality, who are the usual controllers of the marijuana mafia. Also, more than 3,000 marijuana plants and three vehicles used to transport drugs and supplies needed for the plantations were confiscated.
Investigators began monitoring this organization at the end of July 2024. Through various indications, it was possible to verify that the group controlled numerous indoor marijuana plantations in rural and urban areas, where the leaders of the group were responsible for running food and supplies to the workers, who were often locked up for weeks in the houses where they operated as plantations.
These gardeners spent long periods without leaving their homes, as their job was to store, collect, dry and package marijuana, as well as ensure the safety of the facilities. The houses where the plantations were located showed no signs of daily life, with closed windows and drawn blinds.
A corpse in a plantation in Maçanet de la Selva
One of the most shocking moments of the investigation was on September 24, when a lawyer for one of the investigated announced that a body had been found in a house in Maçanet de la Selva, one of those under investigation. The agents guarding the house had already seen the 'gardeners' come out crying.
Investigators went to the scene and confirmed the presence of a dead body. According to the autopsy, the victim, who was allegedly dedicated to tending to the planting of more than 900 marijuana plants at the home, died of natural causes. After this incident, the leaders of the group changed their routines, leaving one of their houses in Mataró to try to deceive the investigators.
The marijuana mafia in Catalonia
The criminal network had organized its operations meticulously, using several apartments for rent in the name of third parties with forged contracts. Rents for these houses exceeded 10,000 euros per month and the plantations were designed to minimize police detection, with locking systems that made it difficult to access or identify those involved. Investigators have also discovered fraud in the supply of electricity, with manipulations in electricity meters.
Those arrested, who were brought to justice on the same day of their arrest, face charges of drug trafficking, electronic fraud and forgery of documents. Although not all of them have been imprisoned, the leaders of this Albanian marijuana mafia organization have been imprisoned. This operation brings to an end a criminal organization that operated in a discreet but very active manner, with connections that extended throughout the Catalan territory and sold drugs abroad.
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