22 EWN
10 - 16 October 2019
Drugs trafficking policeman walks free in Spain A GUARDIA CIVIL colonel has been cleared of drug trafficking offences even though judges considered the prosecution facts proven. The Court of Granada has acquitted the colonel because the offences happened between 2005 and 2006. The stature of limitations, however, is five years, so they considered he could not be convicted. He has also been acquitted of a bribery offence the Guardia Civil calculated that smugglers paid him €480,000 for turning a blind eye - for lack of evidence. Judges decided that the colonel had misused his position as head of anti-drug operations to help a gang of traffickers smuggle in hashish through the Granada coast. The court heard that the accused made contact with two drug traffickers with whom he devised a way to smuggle hashish into Spain from Morocco via the coast of Granada. In order not to raise suspicions, the two collaborators told him of three drug landings and the colonel set up surveillance operations on each of them.
But no arrests were made in the first two landings with the colonel justifying this to fellow officers by saying that the arrests would be made on the third landing, and all the drugs recovered. Not suspecting their own boss, they held back until the third landing and then moved in. But the drugs they found were of low quality. All the high quality and high value narcotics had been in the first two shipments, which by now had disappeared. The prosecutor’s office asked that the crime against public health be considered ‘extremely serious,’ something that depends on the amount of substance trafficked. This would have meant the statute of limitations would have been 10 years ‘ he was arrested nine years after the offences. But the judges said they could not be sure how big a quantity of drugs were involved, so the lower time limit applied. The prosecutor requested nine years in prison and a €6.3 million fine for a crime against public health and bribery. Instead the officer - who was sacked in 2015 walked free.
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Organ donation Living in Spain can bring with it an array of issues which may not have been encountered when living in the UK. There are lots of things to consider, and we are here to help try to make the transition and life in Spain a little easier by compiling a series of helpful facts and figures relating to a variety of topics.
As of 2010, Spain has operated an ‘opt-out’ (or presumed consent) system for deceased organ donation. This addresses the rate or refusal of potential donors or their families in giving permission for the use of organs. The rate of family refusal in Spain is 13 per cent, compared to 37 per cent in England (according to the National Transplant Organisation figures - ONT). According to the ONT, Brits living in Spain are more likely to donate their organs than their countrymen back home. It’s not necessary to have a donor card. What is important is to let family members and loved ones know your wishes in terms of organ donation. Figures published by the Spanish ONT in 2017 put the country as world leader in donation and transplants, reaching a new record with 46.9 donors per million people and 5.261 transplants. Spain has been a global leader in organ donation and transplantation for the past 26 years. Broken down by organ, there were 3,269 kidney surgeries (up 9 per cent on 2016), 1,247 liver transplants (up 8 per cent), 304 heart procedures (8 per cent rise), 363 lung surgeries (up 18 per cent), 70 pancreas transplants (down 4 per cent) and eight bowel surgical procedures (up 100 per cent). According to the National Transplant Organisation (ONT), these surgeries are equivalent to six donors and 14 surgical procedures a day. In addition, Spain saw a new record in bone marrow donation last year, with 78,291 new donors and an increase of 196 per cent over the previous year. At this rate, the country could reach its target of 400,000 bone marrow donors well before the mid-2020 goal. In Spain the number of those on the waiting list was reduced to 4,896 in 2017, from 5,480, although the number of children waiting for organs increased to 74, from 48 a year earlier. Lung and heart are viable for 4-6 hours after death, liver and pancreas 24 hours, kidney 72 hours, corneas 14 days, bone and skin five years, and heart valves up to 10 years. Small intestines, veins, tendons and ligaments can also be donated. A single organ donor can save up to eight people and a single tissue donor may enhance the lives of up to 50 people. This information is for guidance only, and should not be taken as legal advice. If in any doubt, seek professional help.