A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• A criminal organization dedicated to the promotion, production and sale of narcotic substances in the Aridane Valley has been dismantled

• 14 kilos of marijuana buds, 2.5 kilos of hashish and more than 16,000 euros in cash have been seized

June 15, 2022.- Officials of the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency and agents of the Civil Guard belonging to the investigation area of the Main Post of Los Llanos de Aridane, have arrested 13 people for a continued crime against public health, in the modalities of promotion and facilitation of the consumption of narcotics, cultivation and production of narcotics, retail sales of narcotics, membership in a criminal organization, money laundering and smuggling.

Within the framework of the 'Snoopix' operation, and after the investigation was entrusted to the Public Prosecutor's Office at the beginning of July, the Civil Guard Agents established different surveillance operations and were able to verify that narcotics of cannabis origin were being sold at the headquarters of a shared consumption association of Cannabis, located in Llanos de Aridane.

A large number of people came to the premises every day, and it was also noted that the association advertised itself on social media, offering a wide range of cannabis products at different prices, even referring to the organization's own crops and resin production. In addition, they were promoting a ' grow shop ', which was run by the president of the association, who boasted of an ostentatious life.

Following various investigations, it was found that this organisation was engaged in the sale, import and export of cannabis seeds of illicit origin, as these were specimens not covered by the current regulations at state and European level for the marketing of industrial hemp, and which did not appear in the Register of Varieties.

Given the direction of the investigation, Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency who specialize in this type of investigation and who had been entrusted by the Judicial Authority to support the Civil Guard agents for a patrimonial study and to verify the existence of a possible crime of money laundering, associated with public health and the alleged smuggling of cannabis seeds, were informed.

After having sufficient evidence, judicial orders were requested to enter and search the homes of the main leaders of the organization, the headquarters of the association and the headquarters of the business.grow shop", with the participation of Civil Guard agents from different specialties, Reserve and Security Group number eight from the Canary Islands area, units from the Canary Service, and Citizen Security agents from the Santa Cruz de la Palma Company, together with officials from the Tax Agency, seizing a large quantity of narcotic substances of cannabis origin during the searches: 14 kilos of marijuana buds, 2.5 kilos of hashish, 16,163 euros in cash, three vehicles, physical documentation, computer and electronic equipment, as well as numerous packages returned by foreign customs.

Following the documentary analysis examined by the Court, it has been possible to verify that at least 1,704 packages have been sent between 2020 and 2022, to destinations on all continents, with destinations in South America predominating.

The packages were sent as second-hand gift books, hiding various types of seeds inside, which were concealed with X-ray-opaque elements.