From the terrace of Snack Bar 2001, a long stretch of Carrer Major in La Jonquera, in the Alt Empordà region, can be observed. A few meters away, three or four men of North African origin wait patiently, leaning against the wall. They come and go, chat amongst themselves, sit down to smoke, and exchange a few words with the ONCE lottery vendor. On the nearest corner, the scene repeats itself. Until a Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) car parks in front and the group disperses. These individuals, who spend their days positioned at various strategic points along Carrer Major, are the ones who distribute drugs to French customers who cross the border to obtain cheaper cocaine or hashish.

50,553 fines in four months This is the number of fines recorded by a new radar installed at the entrance to La Jonquera (Alt Empordà) between October 21, 2024, and February 20, 2025. The City Council of this border municipality installed it last October in a municipally managed section of the road. The radar is located on a straight road with two lanes in each direction, between two roundabouts, in a commercial area with supermarkets and department stores on both sides of the road. Every day, it detects more than 400 violations, making it the radar with the most penalties in Catalonia.

A petrol station, a garage, a bazaar, a carpentry shop and one of the biggest brothels in Europe. This is what Mas Morató industrial estate in La Jonquera has to offer. It is where Club Paradise is located, known because it can accommodate more than a hundred prostitutes. It is five o'clock in the afternoon, opening time, and there is already a group of six men waiting to enter. "But how can you do this to me? I have a wife!" one of the clients replies to the question of whether he wants to give an interview. The Generalitat considers brothels "public establishments with private annexes" and, throughout the pandemic, the same measures have been applied to them as to nightclubs. This means that, in 2021, they were only allowed to open for two weeks in July, until on October 8 most restrictions were lifted. The only condition is that all customers must present a covid certificate or a negative PCR test result, as in nightclubs. On the first weekend, many customers did not have a test and had to go to a shopping centre next door to get one. To avoid losing customers, this weekend the club hired medical staff who offer tests just outside the brothel. Five security staff check documents, bags and put the men through a metal detector. "We've had a great time, there are some very beautiful women!" two regulars from Toulouse exclaim. They come out squirming and with reddish cheeks. They have paid €17 to get in – with a free drink – and about €60 for the sex service.