Police raid on drug dens in Ciutat Vella with more than 10 arrests

BarcelonaA major police operation has targeted drug trafficking in Barcelona's Ciutat Vella district. On Monday morning, up to 200 officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) and the Guardia Urbana (Barcelona's municipal police) flooded the streets of Barcelona in a large-scale operation against drug dens and the dealers who supply them. Around fifteen raids were carried out and more than ten arrests were made, according to ARA. The operation followed a lengthy investigation, which began in January, and resulted in the closure of a dozen drug-selling points and the arrest of some of those responsible, thus tackling the root of the problem—a primary objective for the police. According to sources consulted by this newspaper, a man was arrested in an apartment who is believed to be the leader of the network supplying drugs to these dens. A kilogram of cocaine and a firearm were found at his residence. According to sources close to the drug dens, he moved the drugs using addicts, who were also the ones who ended up selling to the drug dens.

The amount of drugs seized in all the raids has been significant, although there is still no official tally. Two of the raids were concentrated on Salvador Street. At one of the premises, located on the ground floor, Mossos d'Esquadra officers had to use a hammer to break the metal shutter. They then forcibly removed the people inside who were using drugs. These individuals were subsequently detained. In the drug dens, the police found drugs, but also cash and numerous video surveillance devices: each drug-selling point had one camera outside and one inside. Seven occupied premises were returned to their owners. Security agents are entering potential drug storage and sales points. The operation has not only focused on Ciutat Vella: raids have also been carried out in the Eixample and Sants-Montjuïc districts.

The Deputy Mayor for Security, Albert Batlle, stated that Monday's operation sends a "strong" message against drug traffickers. He also said it is a "message of reassurance" to the public. Batlle emphasized that drugs are one of Barcelona's main problems. Along these lines, Carlos Alcaraz, Chief Superintendent of the Ciutat Vella Municipal Police Station, affirmed that the operation is "very much related" to civic responsibility and community life because when there is a drug den, the impact on the building itself and the street is "very serious." Patricia Duran, Deputy Chief of the Ciutat Vella Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan Police) Station, added that thanks in part to citizen cooperation, some of these drug dens were located.