A marijuana plantation with 481 plants concealed in a single-family home in Busot (Alicante) was dismantled by the Guardia Civil as part of the ‘Legar’ operation,  resulted in the imprisonment of a couple who were accused of drug trafficking, electricity fraud, cultivation and production of narcotic substances, and membership in a criminal organisation.

    The investigation commenced in August 2024, when agents from the Investigation Area of the Guardia Civil of the municipality of Alicante from Sant Vicent del Raspeig, through the collaboration of a citizen, were informed of constant noises from electrical devices and suspicious movements allegedly carried out by some neighbours who resided in a three-story building of approximately 400 square meters (m2).

    The agents discovered that the house was rented by a couple who presumably paid the rent in cash and kept the electricity supplied to the owner’s name after conducting a variety of procedures, as stated in a statement by the armed institute.

    Agents entered and searched the residence on April 1st, where they apprehended the two primary suspects, a man and a woman of Serbian descent, aged 45 and 44, respectively. The suspects resided at the residence with their young son.

    The final phase of flowering was observed in 481 adult marijuana plants that were dispersed throughout all rooms of the housing, including areas that were equipped with works to conceal the installation. These works included modified partitions, boarded-up windows, holes in forged, high-capacity electrical and ventilation systems, as well as specific machinery for the treatment and packaging of the product.

    The clandestine laboratory was equipped with cutting-edge technologies, including low-consumption LED displays, osmosis systems, anti-odour filters, and chemical fertilisers, which were designed to enhance the concentration of the active ingredient in marijuana. These technologies were valued at over 18,000 euros.

    Technicians from the electric company discovered an alleged fraudulent connection to the underground network during the inspection. This connection was potentially hazardous and could have resulted in a fire.  Furthermore, they informed the agents that the purported electricity fraud exceeded 80,000 wattage, which is equivalent to the consumption of approximately 50 residential properties with comparable features.

    The Court of Instruction number one of Sant Vicent del Raspeig has ordered the imprisonment of the two detainees, who are accused of the crimes of cultivation and production of narcotic substances, trafficking drugs, electricity fraud, and belonging to a criminal organisation. 

The road map for the development of the dual carriageway of the CV-95 between Orihuela and Torrevieja, which will be the result of a public-private collaboration model, has been presented by the Generalitat to the mayors of Vega Baja. The Generalitat anticipates allocating 180 million euros for this project.

In the meeting held in Torrevieja to explain this project, the Minister of Environment, Infrastructure, and Territory, Vicente Martínez Mus, confirmed that this action, “demanded for decades, will make it possible to reinforce the structure of the territory to provide infrastructure that improves capacity and road safety in the region.”

Furthermore, the head of Infrastructure has clarified that, despite the lengthy process, “the Council is dedicated to ensuring that the project is finalised by the end of the legislative session, the Environmental Impact Statement is approved, and the concession tender is in progress.”

Martínez Mus emphasised the significance of the action in enhancing the quality of life and mobility of citizens, particularly in light of the exponential growth in summer population, which rises from 370,000 inhabitants in winter to over 1.2 million during the summer.

Javier Sendra, the regional secretary of Infrastructure and Transport, and Mª José Martínez Ruzafa, the general director of Road Infrastructure, also witnessed the meeting. The minister stated that he endeavoured to “adjust the progress made thus far to the requirements of each municipality”.

Features of the project

The Generalitat’s proposal involves the construction of variants to facilitate the removal of traffic from the municipalities where the road travels (Orihuela, Bigastro, Jacarilla, and San Miguel de Salinas), as well as the doubling of the CV-95 from one lane to two in each direction.

26.5 kilometres of the CV-95 highway connect Orihuela to the coast of Torrevieja. It is a typical roadway that skirts or crosses numerous localities, with one traffic lane in each direction. This exacerbates the issues of road safety and capacity, particularly in the urban centres of Orihuela and Torrevieja, where the CV-95 is a mere street rather than an urbanisation.

Martínez Mus emphasised that the Generalitat has failed to plan essential infrastructure for the Valencian Community’s advancement over the past eight years. He also reassured the mayors of Vega Baja that “this Council remains dedicated to ensuring that this region is equipped with an axis that is well-integrated into the territory, safe, efficient, connected, and has future projections.”

Owners of numerous kebab stores situated in Biar (Alicante) and Yecla (Murcia) have been apprehended by the National Police for violations of employment and immigration regulations. The investigation commenced in March of last year, when an employee of one of the establishments reported that the individual who had engaged him had stolen all of his personal belongings and his documents, according to sources from the force in a statement.

The investigation has disclosed that the primary suspect, a 41-year-old male of Pakistani descent, communicated with other citizens of his country who were in particularly precarious circumstances in Spain. Under extremely precarious circumstances, he provided them with a job in Yecla in exchange for accommodation and board, without an employment contract or social security registration.

The majority of the employees were in Spain illegally, while two of them were juveniles and others lacked valid work permits, as indicated by the five inspections conducted at the establishments. The arrest of eight individuals was the outcome of the investigations, which were conducted by officers from the Yecla Police Station and the National Police Attached Unit in the Valencian Community, as well as members of the Labour and Social Security Inspectorates of Murcia and Alicante.

Specifically, authorities apprehended the primary suspect and charged him with alleged violations of the rights of foreign citizens and labourers. Additionally, a Moroccan man was apprehended for document falsification, and six additional individuals were apprehended for violating the immigration law.