As the illegal cultivation and distribution of marijuana rises across Catalonia, so too does the prevalence of firearms in the region according to police. In a pre-dawn raid on suspected cannabis plantations in the town of Constanti this week, over 100 heavily armed officers wearily discovered thousands of marijuana plants and equipment.
While conducting search and seizure operations is routine for officers, regional police chief Carlos Otamendi notes an alarming spike in gun-related crimes that seem to follow the expanding cannabis trade. In one incident last month, a shooting led to two deaths allegedly over a dispute between trafficking rings. Military-grade assault weapons were also found in a separate smuggling bust.
Experts point to a growing nexus between organized crime and the plantations sprouting up across Catalonia’s verdant countryside and urban areas. As profits increase, so too does the need for protection which is now being provided through threatening displays and use of lethal force. Over one thousand firearms were confiscated in the region last year, a 28% jump. Attackson cannabis farmsrose 78% while deaths rose from one to five.
However, authorities are keen to stress that overall violence remains below national averages. Still, there are signs society is adjusting to this “new normal” according to journalist Fatima Llambrich. As crops and cash continue flowing freely through Catalonia, maintaining peace may prove an ongoing challenge for police battling an entrenched gang presence.
