More than 700 people held for drug offences in Balearics

The Balearic Islands have one of the highest arrest rates per 10'000 inhabitants, Specifically, this is 8.9 per 10'000, compared with Madrid (6.02), Almeria (9.09), Valencia (8.07) and Barcelona (1.54).

Last year, the Balearics was behind only Gerona as the province with the most seizures of ecstasy.
Over 37'000 units were seized, Spain's interior minister Jorge Fernández Díaz announced to parliament yesterday. It has been calculated that the traffic of drugs in Spain generates a daily profit of around 15.7 million euros, or roughly 5'717 million euros annually.

During an appearance before the Interior Congressional Committee at which he outlined the fight against drug trafficking in 2012 and the first quarter of this year, Fernández Díaz stated that between January and March 10'306 kilos of cocaine had been seized, a rise of over 50% compared with the first quarter of 2012.

The amount of hashish seized had, however, fallen by 63%, due in part to deterrence by the Guardia Civil's exterior surveillance service. Nevertheless, he pointed out that Spain is something of a “retaining wall” for hash, as one out of every three kilos that are seized worldwide and three out of every four kilos of the drug that are seized in Europe are in Spain.

With regard to cocaine, that which is intercepted in Spain accounts for 41% of the European Union total but only 4.2% of that seized across the world.
As for heroin, a drop in consumption partly explains a fall of 56% (to 71 kilos) in seizures. Those for ecstasy were down by 54% (to 9'752 grams), while those for amphetamines rose significantly - by 210%, but represented only 183 units.

Between January and March, the security forces arrested 4'663 people for drug trafficking, 15% down on the first quarter of 2012, while 92'835 people were charged for possession or consumption, a drop of 8%.

The National Police and Guardia Civil, the minister added, have opened over 2'000 investigations, of which more than a thousand relate to drug trafficking and 125 are linked to organised crime. The police conduct the greatest number of investigations (67%), the Guardia Civil 21% and the customs surveillance unit 12%.

Of drug seizures in 2012, the minister detailed the totals for hash (325'562 kilos), cocaine (20'754 kilos), heroin (229 kilos), speed (175'381 grams) and ecstasy (175'381 units).

Cádiz and Málaga are the provinces with the largest seizures of hashish, while Cádiz and Pontevedra top the list for cocaine, Barcelona and Pontevedra for heroin, Vizcaya and Asturias for speed and Gerona and the Balearics for ecstasy