24 supermarkets in Barcelona were fraudulently consuming the electricity of more than 800 homes

BarcelonaUp to 24 supermarkets in Barcelona were found to be consuming the equivalent of 800 households' electricity. This is the result of a joint operation by the Civil Guard, the National Police, and the Barcelona City Police on December 2nd, which focused on identifying businesses of this type operating fraudulently. One of these practices was tapping into the electricity supply, not from blogs or apartment buildings, but from public streets. Specifically, according to sources consulted by ARA, they were connecting to streetlights and other types of street furniture. This, according to the same sources, poses a significant fire risk. Endesa technicians and officials from the Labor and Social Security departments also participated in the police operation. In total, it is estimated that the identified establishments defrauded the authorities of 2.85 million kilowatt-hours, the equivalent of the annual consumption of 814 homes. The illegal activities of these supermarkets didn't end there: inspections also uncovered tampered scales, expired food, incorrect labeling, unlicensed operations, and a lack of anti-smoking measures. Furthermore, they failed to warn customers about the presence of security cameras.

Many of the stores were franchises.

In total, 26 people are under investigation for running these supermarkets, most of which were franchises. That is, they were stores belonging to various supermarket chains—there was more than one—and each was operated by a single individual. Some of the stores were open 24 hours a day and were scattered throughout the city. Businesses were inspected in the districts of Nou Barris, Sant Andreu, Sant Martí, Gràcia, Eixample, and Ciutat Vella.

In addition, the police also detected cases of labor exploitation. Specifically, officers identified 59 people during the searches, five of whom were victims of this type of crime. Five workers were also undocumented immigrants, and proceedings have been initiated that could lead to their deportation, as well as sanctions for those who employed them. The operation involved 66 Civil Guard officers, 35 members of the Barcelona Municipal Police, 18 National Police officers, 11 Labor and Social Security sub-inspectors, and 35 Endesa technicians. The Barcelona Municipal Police also detected 87 violations related to safety, hygiene, and regulatory compliance, such as problems with emergency exits, lack of fire extinguishers, unusable restrooms, absence of required signage, expired or spoiled food, and improper display of alcoholic beverages.