The war over Son Banya

By Jason Moore IT may sound amazing but sales of hard-drugs actually fell in Majorca over the weekend as a result of checkpoints which were established by police at the two entrances of the so-called gypsy encampment of Son Banya close to Palma airport. This area has the notorius name of the “drugs supermarket...” and it is alleged that the much of the cocaine and heroin consumed in Palma actually comes from there. As a result of the checkpoints many would-be buyers decided to go elsewhere or gave up completely. But the police checkpoints led to rioting and scores of cars were set alight; armed police fired tear gas and even smoke bombs in an effort to disperse the protesters The Son Banya issue goes even further. The Prosecutor General of the Balearics has come under fire for legal deals he has made with some of the alleged Son Banya leaders; reduced prison sentences and fines instead of prison terms are some of the deals which have been made by the judiciary. The softly-softly approach has been criticised by the Government Delegate Ramon Socias who feels that no-deals should be made. So while Son Banya is one of the most run-down areas of Palma it continues to make the headlines. Some people expressed fears yesterday that as the police knew where much of the drugs were sold it was far easier to keep an eye on Son Banya than having to look elsewhere.