In a recently completed operation, officers of the Guardia Civil de Almeria command in Almeria intercepted an indoor marijuana crop with 300 plants and arrested a person for an offence against public health and another for defrauding the electricity supply.
This action is part of the plan developed by the Guardia Civil of Almeria against trafficking, cultivation or processing of narcotic substances in the province.
The investigation began when the agents, during a surveillance service of isolated dwellings, observed signs that pointed to the existence of an indoor marijuana plantation in a farmhouse in the «Las Viñas» area, in the municipality of Gérgal (Almería).
The characteristic smell of this type of cultivation and the permanent operation of air conditioning and air extraction machinery attract the attention of the agents who design a discreet surveillance device on the house.
The agents, in collaboration with technicians from the electricity supply company, took measurements of the electricity network and obtained indications of the existence of an illegal connection that would provide cover for the marijuana cultivation inside.
The agents carried out the corresponding searches in the house and located a large crop with 300 marijuana plants, 52 light bulbs, 52 ballasts, 3 extractors, 6 air conditioning units (one of them industrial) and 7 fans.
The complex electrical installation implemented to maximise the crop’s yield resulted in excessively high consumption through the illegal connection to the grid.
Finally, as a result of the investigation, the Guardia Civil of Almeria proceeded to arrest the person responsible as the perpetrator of a crime against public health and fraudulent use of electricity.
The proceedings carried out by the Guardia Civil together with the detainees are placed at the disposal of the Dean of the Courts of Almeria.