Despite police operations against drugs in Son Banya, the sale continues. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

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It is estimated that the drugs clans in the Son Banya shanty town in Palma have sold up more than one million's worth of drugs in one week during the current festive season.

Some 1,000 vehicles have been going to Son Banya each day, and the number was higher on both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Police reckon that each vehicle leaves with an average of a gram and a half of drugs (usually cocaine). The usual price for a gram is between 55 and 60 euros. On top of the selling that goes on in Son Banya, there is the clans' wholesale business, which means that drugs are sold in different parts of Majorca.

Drug use, and especially the use of cocaine, is certainly not confined to people on the margins of society. It is now common among the middle and upper classes. The type of vehicle that can be seen entering Son Banya is indicative of this.

There are several clans who operate in Son Banya. Despite the regular raids, the police believe there are still some 25 points of sale in the shanty town. These can't always be easy to locate because spotters are deployed on a 24-hour basis to warn of any police activity.