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Spain police union warn ‘legions of youth’ working for narcos

A Spanish police union warned Monday young people in the poorer south were flocking to work for flush narco gangs as they rise in power in an area where security forces are now reluctant to be posted

Published: 14 May 2018 17:06 CEST

Spain police union warn 'legions of youth' working for narcos

Archive image showing several piles of high-purity cocaine blocks seized on December 5, 2017 at the Algeciras seaport.

The stark warning came days after some 40 people — some of whom are thought to be linked to drug mafias — attacked nine Guardia Civil police officers on their time off in Algeciras, part of the southern province of Cadiz, a drug trafficking hotspot.

“Before the mafias avoided us, now this new generation of narcos are challenging security forces directly, they use guns, and they have professionals, we're now noting the presence of sicarios,” Alberto Moya, head of the AUGC Guardia Civil union, told Spanish radio.

“These people employ legions of youth,” he added, pointing to the high unemployment rate in this poorer area of southern Spain as one of the reasons.

“These people can pay salaries that not even a multinational could pay its executives.”

He added that many police agents didn't want to be posted in the area “because their work is difficult, they can be recognised, they fear for their family.”

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This is not the first incident in the area, where drug traffickers have recently also unloaded drugs in broad daylight and stormed a hospital to free a suspected drug trafficker.

But Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido sought to play down Saturday's incident, in which one of the nine police officers who had been eating at a restaurant was forced to fire his gun in the air to stop the attack.

It was “an act of vandalism, of street violence that doesn't have anything to do with other issues,” he told reporters, apparently denying there was a link with drug trafficking.

He added that out of 10 of the attackers already identified by police, only two had previous convictions linked to drug trafficking. At least one of them has already been detained.

Zoido insisted that more police had been sent to the area, but that social measures were also needed such as fighting youth unemployment.

According to the interior ministry, 40 percent of all drugs that come to Spain arrive via the province of Cadiz.

A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021.

A demonstrator smokes a joint at the pro-cannabis Hanfparade in Berlin in August 2021. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

The Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) are set to engage in coalition talks in a bid to become the next German government. And the future of cannabis will likely be one of the topics to be thrashed out.

In drug policy, the three parties are not too far apart in their positions. So it’s possible that the drug could be decriminalised.

However, nothing is set in stone and the parties still haven’t come to a common line on the question of where and to what extent cannabis could be accessed.

The leader of the Liberal FDP, Christian Lindner, has now come out in favour of allowing cannabis products such as hashish to be sold in a controlled manner.

Consumers should be allowed “to purchase a quantity for their own use, for example, in a pharmacy after health education,” Lindner told a live broadcast on German daily Bild on Sunday.

Lindner said he was sceptical about the sale in “coffee shops” according to the Dutch model. “I am in favour of controlled distribution, and therefore health education must be able to take place,” he said.

READ MORE: Patients in Germany still face hurdles accessing medical marijuana

People in the Netherlands can access cannabis products in coffee shops under the country’s tolerant drugs policy. However coffee shops have to follow certain strict conditions. For instance they are not allowed to sell large quantities to an individual.

Lindner said his main aims were about “crime and health prevention” and not with “legalising a right to intoxication”.

It’s not clear if Lindner advocates for prescription-only cannabis for medical use, or an over-the-counter model.

The FDP previously said that they they are in favour of the creation of licensed shops. Their manifesto highlights the health benefits, tax windfalls and reallocation of police resources that legalisation would create.

The Green party also want licensed shops, as well as a whole new approach to drug control starting with the controlled legalisation of marijuana. The Greens state that “strict youth and user protection” would be the centre point of their legislation and hope to “pull the rug from under the black market”.

The SPD also want a reform of Germany’s prohibition stance – but are more cautious than the smaller parties on the legalisation aspect. They would like to initially set up pilot projects.

READ ALSO: Why Germany could be on the brink of legalising cannabis

Controversial topic

So far, the sale of cannabis is officially banned in Germany. Possession of cannabis is also currently illegal across the entire country. Those caught carrying the substance can face anything from a fine to five years in jail.

However, the justice system generally looks away if you are caught carry small quantities for personal use unless you have a previous conviction.

The definition of personal use differs from state to state, with Berlin having the most liberal rules and Bavaria the tightest.

It is estimated that around four million people regularly use cannabis in Germany.

Representatives of police unions in Germany have warned against legalisation. They argue that cannabis is an often trivialised drug that can lead to considerable health problems and social conflicts, especially among young people.

Oliver Malchow, from the GdP police union, said that “it doesn’t make any sense to legalise another dangerous drug on top of alcohol”.

The current Ministry of Health also continues to oppose the legalisation of cannabis, a spokesperson for Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) made clear. Cannabis is a dangerous substance and therefore legalisation is not advisable, the spokesman said.

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