The National Police and officers of the Civil Guard (Guardia Civil) in Spain have arrested two Albanians in an operation against marijuana trafficking. The two Albanians are accused of setting up a marijuana plantation in a natural area near the Valencian town of Enguera. The investigation began in early July, when several citizens reported a suspicious movement of people and vehicles in a natural area of the Sierra de Enguera.
On an initial discreet approach to the location, officers noticed a cleared field and a constant mechanical noise, apparently from a generator. It was confirmed that, at the same location, in November 2023, the National Police’s Organized Crime Unit had conducted an operation that resulted in the seizure of 1,125 marijuana plants and the arrest of eight Albanian nationals.
The same sources indicate that with these indications, and given the suspicion that it could be an attempt to perpetuate criminal activity, a joint operation was set up on July 14. Officers from the Civil Guard and the National Police were sent to the scene. Upon arrival, they found steel cable metal barriers stretched along the paths used to prevent vehicle access to the area where criminal activity appeared to be taking place.
They also found a sophisticated camera system that was streaming live video, as well as a camera trap hidden in the vegetation. When officers gained access to the area, they discovered a large marijuana plantation in the open. They also managed to arrest one member of the criminal group, while the rest escaped through the fields.
At that moment, a search operation was launched with vehicles, which also included Civil Protection personnel from Enguera and neighboring local corporations. This led to the arrest, 40 hours later, of a man who was found dehydrated and injured at the police station.
During the operation, 90 kilograms of fully dried marijuana buds in airtight bags were seized, along with 2,440 marijuana plants. A centrifuge for separating the buds from the stems, precision scales, a vacuum sealer and various tools for the production and preparation of the drug were found in the plantation.
Two men, aged 34 and 36, of Albanian origin, were arrested for these acts and are accused of a crime against public health (drug trafficking) and another of belonging to a criminal organization. The investigation was carried out by agents of the Anti-Drugs and Organized Crime Unit -UDYCO- of the Provincial Brigade of the Judicial Police of the National Police of Valencia, together with agents of the Main Post of the Canals of the Civil Guard.
They also had the collaboration of members of the Xàtiva Roca Team, Navarrés SEPRONA (Nature Protection Service) and members of the Civil Protection, Local Police and the Enguera municipal council, Spanish media reports. The case file has been submitted to the Civil and Preliminary Investigations Section of the Court of Xàtiva.