A large police operation against the sale of drugs on a small scale or “retail” in several establishments in a well-known leisure area of the city has resulted in the arrest of a total of 80 individuals in Benidorm (Alicante) who are accused of drug trafficking and belonging to a criminal group. According to a statement from the Police, the primary suspects are two brothers who operate numerous leisure establishments in Benidorm, as well as two other brothers who are unrelated to the family and were responsible for the venues’ security and public relations. The 80 detainees, who range in age from 18 to 82, have been released after providing statements. The duty magistrate in Benidorm has been notified of the proceedings. The investigation is ongoing, as one of the primary suspects is still at large. This operation is a component of a thorough investigation and a series of joint actions conducted by the National Police and the Local Police Headquarters of Benidorm.
Throughout the year, the agents have seized a variety of quantities of drugs from multiple consumers who would have acquired them in the establishments under investigation in the area. Additionally, the agents have made numerous arrests for drug trafficking offences. The individuals arrested are purportedly employed by those establishments.Multiple interventions for fights and riots occurred at the doors and in the vicinity of these entertainment venues during the investigation phase. Several individuals were arrested for injuries, and a number of bladed weapons, including machetes and knives, as well as blunt objects, were seized. One of the most severe incidents that transpired during the investigation, according to the police, was the coercion and harassment of numerous local police officers by “multiple” individuals associated with the establishments during one of the inspections. The inspections, arrests, and seizures that had been conducted at these entertainment venues in the past were purportedly the motivation behind this persecution. Two of the primary suspects, two brothers with a history of drug trafficking and other criminal activities, are purportedly responsible for the coordination and direction of these actions. They are also purportedly in charge of the security and public relations of these establishments.
Several police operations have been conducted in Benidorm in recent years, resulting in the detention of individuals associated with these entertainment venues for drug trafficking. Last year, police operations were also conducted at other establishments in this entertainment district, which led to the seizure of substantial quantities of narcotics.The group of establishments on which the agents conducted the operation was a “major black spot for drug sales” and an area where crimes associated with the sale and consumption of narcotic substances were committed, primarily crimes against public order, property, and persons. The detainees positioned themselves to regulate the movement of police officers on the street, designating nicknames to them based on their uniformed or plainclothes status and their affiliation with the National or Local Police. They employed walkie-talkies to communicate with one another in order to open or close the doors of various establishments, thereby obstructing officers from observing drug deals or other unlawful activities that were taking place within.The agents confirmed that certain detainees, who were responsible for surveillance, security, and public relations, provided customers with instructions regarding the “exact location” of the drugs on the premises and the individuals to contact in order to obtain them. The latter individuals were occasionally waiters at the establishments.
The operation was conducted by a significant number of police officers from the National Police’s Citizen Security, Judicial Police, and Immigration units, as well as the Unit Attached to the Valencian Government and the Response and Prevention Group of the Local Police of Benidorm. Seven entertainment venues in Benidorm were examined during the operation, which was conducted over the course of two evenings through a large-scale joint deployment. These establishments had been the subject of numerous investigations and surveillance by investigators in the past. On the initial evening, 53 individuals were apprehended by law enforcement officers on suspicion of drug trafficking and membership in a criminal organisation. The agents confiscated over 32,000 euros in cash, 40 walkie-talkie communication devices, 16 mobile phones, six pepper sprays, a set of brass knuckles, two magnetic boxes for concealing drugs, 23 grams of cocaine prepared in doses, two grams of ecstasy, 63 grams of cutting agent, and two grams of marijuana during the inspections of the investigated establishments.Investigators apprehended 24 additional individuals for the same offences on the second night of the operation. The two primary suspects, brothers who owned enterprises and managed the entertainment venues, were also apprehended several days later.The agents conducted a total of seven inspections in the leisure premises, during which six sanctioning files were initiated for non-compliance with a variety of administrative obligations in the areas of safety and health. These obligations included the exercise of the right to arbitrary and discriminatory admission or sale of tobacco to minors, the lack of mandatory insurance, and the exceeding of capacity limits.One of the two brothers who allegedly controlled all security and public relations of these establishments was the final individual arrested in the police operation. He is suspected of being the primary perpetrator of the coercion and harassment that several Local Police officers of Benidorm experienced in response to the inspections that were conducted.
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