05/10/2013 00:00
TW
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OVER 300 million euros worth of cocaine went up in smoke yesterday as the biggest drugs haul to date in the Balearics was destroyed at the Son Reus incinerator. The record-breaking drugs haul was made last week when the Guardia Civil boarded a British-flagged catamaran off Ibiza.
The drugs were confiscated and five Eastern Europeans arrested.
Central government representative to the Balearics, Ramon Socias, made the trip to Son Reus yesterday in the company of National Police and Guardia Civil chiefs to watch the 2.4 tonnes of drug, with a street value of at least 300 million euros, go up in smoke. Socias explained that while the investigation is still on-going, the police, who were working on close co-operation with their British counterparts, are confident that they have closed down a major nation-wide drugs trafficking and dealing cartel. “We are still following up a few leads overseas,” said Socias, “But we've taken their means of shipment out of the equation and there are various investigations underway in the drug's country of origin. “This is a very important day in the Balearic war on drugs,” he added.
In the Balearics alone, 717 kilos of cocaine were destroyed in July followed by a massive 12 tonnes in August.

SCHOOLS
“The security forces are working extremely hard to prevent the Balearics and the West coast of Spain from becoming an alternative drugs gateway to Spain and the rest of Europe,” Socias said. But, while the war on large international drugs dealers rages, so too does the battle to prevent drug use and abuse in Balearic schools.
During the first quarter of this year, members of the National Police and the Guardia Civil seconded to the new schools operation carried out a total of 277 interventions - the vast majority in and around Palma. Socias said yesterday that the most common drugs being peddled in and around schools are hashish and marijuana but police have intercepted and confiscated heroin and cocaine. A total of 500 officers from the two security forces are involved in the school drugs operation which was launched nationwide at the start of the year and phase two was recently launched at the start of the new school term two weeks ago. Socias said that the operation is proving “very successful” and this second phase is going to involve a much greater level of parent participation and co-operation.