Drone helps detain drug dealers

LOCAL and National Police in Elche collaborated to bring down a gang that was growing and selling marijuana.

Officers arrested five people and dismantled three indoor plantations, confiscating 900 cannabis plants which were ‘ at an advanced stage of growth and flowering’, three kilos of marijuana buds, € 3,500 in cash, a vehicle and a large quantity of equipment and materials for maintaining the facilities.

It was the local force that first learned that a house in the district of Torrellano could be being used to grow the drug.

They passed the information to the National Police and worked closely with them on the investigation.

Surveillance of the house enabled officers to see several aluminium tubes fitted to the building, a yellow light shining continually from the windows and air conditioning could be heard running day and night. The police even used a drone to avoid being detected by the significant security precautions taken by the gang.

Checks by the electricity company found a drop in energy, the timing and high consumption of which was consistent with equipment used to maintain indoor marijuana plantations.

The enquiries soon identified the suspects and the locations of another two properties being used to house plants.

A sizeable operation was mounted to raid all three houses and make the arrests.

The suspects, who are Spanish and aged between 32 and 42, have police records for similar incidents and were handed over to a court of investigation in the city.