Guardia Civil officers keep watch during the incineration process. | Alejandro Sepúlveda

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Operation Checkmate, one of the largest police drugs operations ever staged in Mallorca, resulted in the seizure of 1.3 tonnes of cocaine. On Tuesday, this massive haul was incinerated at the Son Reus plant in Palma.

The Spanish government's delegate in the Balearics, Alfonso Rodríguez, was among those who witnessed the incineration. He highlighted the "great work" of the state security forces in the fight against the drugs trade and praised the international cooperation that had ensured the success of the operation.

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On March 13, the Guardia Civil raided various addresses in Mallorca. One of those arrested was Carlos Cortés ('El Charly'), president of the Balearic federation of gypsy associations, who continues to protest his innocence and whose request to be released from custody was rejected last week.

A drugs baron who wasn't arrested because he was already in prison was Pablo Campos Maya ('El Pablo'). A raid in La Soledad, Palma led to an extraordinary discovery. A whole row of houses on C. Teix had been knocked through and a luxury property ("a small palace", as it was described) was revealed. This was El Pablo's property. Palma town hall says that it will be demolished; there wasn't planning permission.