COSTA DE ALMERÍA
12 - 18 October 2017
Captain in court THE skipper of an illegal immigrant boat is facing six years in prison. Three people drowned when the boat capsized 16 nautical miles south of Carboneras. Alongside the skipper another 14 people were rescued from the shipwreck earlier this year after it was consumed by waves in the choppy winter waters. Almeria’s criminal court has heard that the three immigrants who drowned jumped from the boat in terror as it flooded. None of the passengers had life jackets.
Fake facts crackdown POLICE are cracking down on false reports following a spate of expensive, timewasting ‘thefts.’ In all of the cases, supposed victims claimed to have been mugged or burgled but when probed revealed they had invented the crime to claim insurance money. In one example a worker who managed to lose a beer shipment worth €1,600 told police that six armed men stole it from him, but later confessed to making it up to keep his job.
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Monster bust Entire farm devoted to drugs By Matthew Elliott More than 41,000 plants were seized in the biggest marihuana bust in Almeria’s history. Guardia Civil officers raided an enormous farm dedicated entirely to production of the drug. Wi t h a t o t a l h a u l o f 41,500 adult plants, it was the second-biggest marihuana crop ever found in Spain. Police have so far arrested just one suspect, a 52y e a r- o l d N i j a r m a n , w h o was minding the crop. The farm, in the Cortijo de Norias area, spanned a vast 61,500 square metres. Incredible pictures show Guardia Civil officers surrounded by well-managed plants in one of the most sophisticated and heavilyfinanced operations ever seen.
Photo credit Guardia Civil
ISSUE NO. 1684
MASSIVE: Biggest ever weed bust in Almeria history. The tens of thousands of plants were divided between multiple greenhouses. Police searched several warehouses on the property, finding machinery used to dry and process the plants into a sellable product. It is still unknown who
masterminded the operation or how long it has been effective for. The raid was conducted over the weekend. Guardia Civil officers across Almeria Province now routinely conduct checks of rural properties searching for
Pepper spray villain GUARDIA CIVIL caught a mugger who used pepper spray to blind his victim before stealing their mobile phone. The Vicar resident, a male aged 22, has been charged with armed robbery. It took almost one month for police to catch their man. They were alerted to the mugging by the victim, another Vicar resident, in September.
He told officers how the man snuck up behind him in the street, sprayed his eyes with the chemical agent, and then lifted his phone from his pocket. The pepper spray caused substantial eye injuries to the victim, who had to be treated at a nearby medical centre. After a lengthy investigation, police were able to identify the suspect. He has a long record of assaults and robberies.
drug plantations. They came across a strong smell from the farm and began a surveillance operation. Using state-ofthe-art cameras they were able to get an idea of the sheer size of the marihuana farm. Backup was dispatched for the raid, which came after the suspect closed the gates for the night. Evidence, including ventilation, farm machinery, smell inhibitors, and vegetable crates used to transfer the drugs, were confiscated.