Nearly 3,000 marijuana plants impounded in Alicante swoops
One suspect ‘ led a completely normal life with his partner and their children’
THE GUARDIA Civil headquarters in Alicante gave details on Tuesday of a number of operations against marijuana plantations around the province.
In the swoops officers seized 2,962 plants, along with large quantities of the drug.
Armed officers stormed one home where the drug was being grown.
A force spokesman reported that in the first of the operations they were able to take down two growing operations in Aspe and Monóvar.
They impounded 1,541 marijuana plants, along with 345 grams of the drug and 300 grams of cocaine.
Two suspects were arrested at the plantations.
The spokesman noted that the force had identified a property in Aspe which was being rented by a 41yearold Slovenian man.
When they entered the home officers found a sophisticated growing, drying and packaging system.
The spokesman noted that the drug was placed in packages weighing one kilo, which were then allegedly sent to countries in Eastern Europe.
This led them to the second property in nearby Monóvar, which was being rented by a 40yearold Slovenian, where another growing and packaging operation had been set up.
As well as charges for drug trafficking, one of the suspects is also accused of electricity fraud to the tune of € 39,275.
San Vicente bust
A second operation took place in San Vicente del Raspeig, with a total of eight arrests made and three of the suspects being remanded in custody.
The spokesman noted that the local force detected in August that a plantation may have been set up at a chalet in the north of the municipality.
Officers set up a surveillance operation and found that the property ‘ was frequented by a group of citizens from Eastern Europe’ described as Lithuanians, Poles and Serbs.
The investigation uncovered that they were operating three indoor marijuana farms at different locations which contained a total of 650 plants.
Officers also seized € 43,000 in cash.
El Vergel
The spokesman also revealed that Guardia Civil from El Vergel arrested five suspects – two Colombians, a couple from Holland and a Croat – for growing marijuana and defrauding the national grid. He noted that officers received information that an indoor planation had been set up at a home in the municipality. When they raided the property they found a sophisticated growing factory with 771 marijuana plants with an estimated value of € 140,000. Officers seized 13.5 kilos of the drug which had already been harvested,
along with € 15,980 in cash, three vehicles and equipment used to cultivate marijuana.
“When the officers entered the property, four of the suspects were in the basement harvesting marijuana from the plants,” noted the spokesman.
“The fifth suspect – who was renting the home – led a completely normal life in the neighbourhood, along with his partner and their children.”
This man has been remanded in custody by a Denia judge.