Only 10% of those arrested in Catalonia for marijuana trafficking go to prison

BarcelonaOrganized crime related to marijuana is expanding in Catalonia, and police resources alone are insufficient to address the magnitude of this "serious security problem," warned the Director General of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police), Josep Lluís Trapero, on Friday. In 2024, there were 115 violent incidents related to marijuana trafficking—including two homicides—and firearms were used in 30% of these incidents. At the same time, the illicit presence of firearms on the streets has been increasing. Last year, police operations resulted in the dismantling of more than 400 plantations, the seizure of half a million plants, and 2,000 arrests nationwide. However, only 10% of those arrested were remanded in custody.

During the opening of the conference Marijuana and organized crime Speaking at the Foundation for Public Safety at the World Trade Center, Trapero issued a warning: more and more people are choosing to enter the drug trade as a kind of "social elevator," and it is essential that the political and judicial spheres work with law enforcement to control this phenomenon. "The police have not managed to dismantle all the plantations they are aware of. We don't have sufficient capacity to reach them, to carry out the work of gathering evidence, to justify a search warrant and obtain it from a judge and the Public Prosecutor's Office in order to intervene," Trapero admitted.

"The marijuana market is expanding; what has run out are the police resources. We have reached our capacity limit," corroborated Deputy Chief Superintendent Toni Rodríguez of the Mossos d'Esquadra, who also participated in the event. In fact, he asserted that neither the police nor the judicial structures were designed for this "explosion" of the drug market.

David Puertas, the chief inspector of the Palafrugell Local Police, also spoke about the limitations of law enforcement agencies. He pointed out that personnel are sometimes limited, although the use of drones is a great help, and that one of the most complex aspects is the conflict generated by the social degradation fueled by drugs. This business, he said, involves many weapons, such as pistols, machetes, and knives, causing tensions between drug traffickers and residents, who may even report assaults or threats from the former.

Criminal punishment too low

The head of the Catalan police acknowledged the need to improve police intelligence and evidentiary processes, but also questioned whether it is "coherent" for the current penalty for marijuana to be so low, given the harm it causes to society. Currently, the sentence is one to three years in prison, based on the perception that it is not as problematic a substance as others.

However, Trapero pointed out that there is a very high consumption of this drug and that it has a "serious impact" on public health and the mental health of users, especially as the composition of the substances is adulterated. In response, the delegate prosecutor of the Special Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office in Catalonia, Gerardo Cavero, stated that while legislative changes are being requested, it is necessary to work "very well" and ensure that cases are "well-connected" so that sentences can be handed down that are "justifiably severe."

Trapero also referred to cannabis associations and lamented the "naiveté" with which they have been allowed to operate and proliferate throughout the country. Prosecutor Cavero also admitted that they have investigated more than 500 of them and asserted that these are businesses that practice an "extraordinary fraud of the law," behind which organized crime may also be brewing. Palafrugell Local Police Inspector David Puertas has stated that officers must be able to conduct more inspections of these establishments. "We have the capacity and the obligation to go there, see who's there, who the partners are..." he concluded.