Customs in Mallorca during an operation. (Archive image.) | Archive

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On Monday (January 23), the trial will start of a 38-year-old Colombian man, Pablo Emilio C., accused of importing and seeking to import huge quantities of cocaine.

On February 22, 2022, he was arrested at his home in Sant Joan. He was expecting a shipment of drugs camouflaged among packets of coffee. Agents from customs surveillance searched his home and found 200 packets. These were labelled 'Café tradicional Buesaco', but inside there were no coffee beans. There were instead 100,000 grams of cocaine - each packet contained 500 grams.

Questioned by agents, he told them that he knew nothing about the cocaine, saying that he distributed coffee to bars and that he had a licence to import coffee, cinnamon and cocoa. A court in Manacor didn't believe him and he was ordered to prison, which is where he has been waiting for the trial that will be heard at the Provincial Court in Palma.

On February 19 last year, customs at Barcelona-El Prat Airport seized 27 packets of coffee that were due to be delivered to him. In investigating his background, it was found that he had worked for a time for the Sant Jaume parish in Alcudia and that in 2021 he had a declared income of 412 euros.

The value of the cocaine was in excess of one million euros.