The two Mossos d'Esquadra officers accused of planting cocaine and weapons in a dockworker's car deny the charges.

Barcelona"No." This has been the most repeated response from the two Mossos d'Esquadra officers – an agent and a corporal from the Sant Martí police station. who sit in the dock of the Barcelona Court for planting drugs and weapons in the car of Carlos L., a dockworker at the port of Barcelona, ​​with the aim of framing him in 2016. The trial is nearing its end, and this Wednesday it was the turn of the defendants to testify: both officers and two mechanics. All four defendants denied any involvement in the events, answering only questions from their lawyers. They denied knowing Carlos L. and having nothing against him. In fact, during his testimony, the dockworker also stated that he did not know the four defendants, but affirmed that the person who wanted to frame him was David Caballero, known as Bubito, a former port worker. who was murdered a year ago in Montgat due to a drug-related conflict that is still under investigation. However, the prosecution considers the four defendants to be the perpetrators and has maintained its request for 18 years and nine months in prison for the Mossos d'Esquadra officers and 14 years for the mechanics. The psychiatrist treating the dockworker also testified at the trial and admitted that while he initially did not believe the conspiracy against Carlos L., after reviewing the case documentation, he realized that his account "was coherent." The specialist stated that the victim suffers from extreme anxiety and distress that began after he was high. He added that the victim "fears for his life at all times," believes he is being electronically spied on, followed, watched, and harassed, and has even cut off contact with his closest circle.

The first Mossos d'Esquadra officer testified that he has been part of the police force since 2006 and that he had previously been a port police officer, but that he did not know any dockworkers. Faced with the prosecution's accusation that the afternoon before the drug bust, they searched for Bubito's and Carlos L.'s information—as well as his car—in the police database using their superior's username, the officer claimed he was working the morning shift that day. The corporal, with over three decades on the force, also stated that it couldn't be confirmed he was on duty that afternoon. When presented with a shift schedule showing they worked that afternoon, both officers said they filled it out in their heads based on the week's planned activities, which don't always come to pass. However, the accused officer maintained that he doesn't know why he's involved in a trial and that it's a "nightmare."

The call

According to the prosecution's account, after planting the drugs, one of the two mechanics called the Sant Martí police station's emergency line. He said his name was Alberto and that he was an informant for someone named Trini, an officer at the station known for having sources in the drug trade. This call reported that there were drugs in a car, and a police operation was launched, leading to the scene: the entrance of a gym near Plaça Francesc Macià in Barcelona. There, the drugs were found, and Carlos L. was arrested. This method of calling aroused Trini's suspicions, and he testified at the trial that he never operates this way with his informants. The corporal, however, stated that it is standard practice. In fact, Trini described how, during the investigation, he met with an informant who explained that there were two officers from the Sant Martí station collaborating with drug trafficking, primarily by providing confidential information. The informant described one as having a marked face and a Catalan accent, and the other as being very tall and bald.They were known as Pep and GodzillaTrini asserted that, at that moment, he showed a picture of all the investigative members of the police station, and the informant pointed, "without hesitation," to the two accused officers. However, this Wednesday, the accused officer submitted his passport to the trial to prove that on the day the photo was taken, he was in Brazil and, therefore, could not have appeared in it. All denied being known as Godzilla and Pep. One of the accused mechanics did admit that he knew the officers "by sight" because they went to the same gym. Protected testimony

However, a surreal moment unfolded during the trial on Wednesday: a protected witness, scheduled to testify, backed out and failed to appear. In fact, he had already recanted during the investigation. Initially, he told the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) that he knew who was behind the drug shipment and that two of those involved were Mossos officers. Investigators added this statement to the case file, but when it was his turn to testify before the judge, this witness denied everything: that he knew about the events and that he had given a statement to the police. This moment was shown in the courtroom in a video recording from the day of the deposition.