ARCHIVED - Sophisticated marijuana gang busted in Alicante and Murcia
The Alicante drug dealers avoided detection by using smart technology and LED lighting
The Guardia Civil has arrested six people, five men and one woman, who were involved in cultivating vast amounts of marijuana using the very latest technology in an attempt to avoid detection. The arrests were carried out in Alicante and the Region of Murcia and resulted in the seizure of 323 plants and 51 kilos of buds that were ready to be sold on the streets.
Marijuana is an increasing problem across Spain but growing enough to make the illegal enterprise profitable is an issue for those in the drug trade. Police were astonished at the high-tech lengths this criminal gang had gone to keep their operation out of sight, such as using home automation to control the greenhouse temperature remotely and installing an LED lighting system to avoid drawing attention to the high energy consumption.
Through the ‘Miraflor’ operation, Guardia Civil of the Main Post of El Campello (Alicante), supported by the Citizen Security Units of Alicante, Torrevieja and Murcia, the canine guide of the Command of Alicante and the Elche Local Police Air Resources Unit, raided five different properties in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia.
When carrying out searches in the houses of El Campello, in the Murcian towns of Molina de Segura and Lorquí, the agents verified that the drug dealers had installed "sophisticated indoor marijuana plantations".
It was quickly established that the six suspects, aged between 20 and 55, all resided in the same Alicante property where they were arrested. Here, officers discovered fake identity documents belonging to different EU countries, including Germany and Greece.
The gang members have already appeared before Investigating Court number 1 of Alicante: the five men have been remanded in custody while the woman has been released on bail.
Image: Guardia Civil
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