SSUENN 1555 //8 -23 - 29 APRIL 2015 14 September 2016 IISSUE OO . .1627
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Record cannabis seizures in region By Matt Ford As news emerged that the Guardia Civil patrol vessel ‘Rio Miño’ had detained a fishing vessel with a huge 9,200kg haul of hashish in Almerian waters, official police data shows 2016 has been a record year for cannabis crime in the region. More illegal farms have been raided during the first half of this year than the entirety of 2015, said the Guardia Civil and National Police. More than 300 kilos of the soporific plant has been seized so far. Growers of the narcotic are apparently concentrated in the coastal area between Nijar and Poniente Almeriense, with most plantations unearthed in uninhabited or unlawfully occupied houses, while others have been found on rural estates. In this way the green-fingered villains are able to maintain their plants away from pry-
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Awesome oarsmen THE Cuevas del Almanzora rowing channel is the chosen location for a Guinness Record attempt, initially planned for next month, by a team from San Pedro de Pinatar. See page 4
Airport anxiety ALMERIA airport saw some tense moments on Monday afternoon (September 5) when alarm bells rang and protocols were activated for the emergency landing of an Air Nostrum flight from Madrid. See page 5
A safer summer WHEREAS nine people lost their lives in the water in the province in the summer of 2015, so far this year the number has
dropped to nine according to the National Drownings Report created by the Royal Lifeguards Federation. See page 10
Day the eagle flies FUNDING for a surveillance project on Bonelli’s eagles in Almeria, Malaga, Granada and Jaen aimed to reinforce and reintroduce birds into wildlife has been cancelled after an association favoured by the Junta de Andalucia regional government in the past failed to obtain the grant. See page 12
ing eyes and maintain the correct environmental conditions, while avoiding sorties by rival drugs gangs. Such indoor set-ups are typically high-tech, employing specialised lighting, ventilation and hydroponic drip irrigation systems, while meticulous care is lavished on the plants themselves in order to ensure a highquality product. Water sourcing has become one of the main ways in which
investigators are able to track down the black-market farms, since they often tap into municipal supplies in order to avoid attracting suspicion for high utility bills. The drugs themselves are not typically sold within the province, where demand is minimal, but sold to northern and central European traffickers who reside in countries with poor growing conditions. In this way, Almeria has not
only cemented its reputation as Europe’s largest wholesale producer of fruit and vegetables, but also exotic greenery of a more illicit nature.
Social responsibility IN the first edict issued in Albox since Francisco Torrecillas was sworn in as mayor, the council has urged local residents to join forces to keep the town clean and tidy. See page 53