NINE Albanian men have been arrested, with all bar one of them jailed, for growing marijuana destined for the European market.

A joint Guardia Civil-Policia Nacional operation co-ordinated raids across Alicante province- dubbed Operation Bulquize.

The gang ran marijuana farms inside warehouses on industrial estates in Alicante and Elche, with 1,600 plants removed by authorities.

House searches and arrests were also made in Javea and Polop.

A vehicle used by the detainees to transport the drug, as well as multiple tools for the cultivation and handling of marijuana were seized.

The group were described as an ‘important criminal organisation’ but were rumbled after an electricity company told police that somebody was illegally using a large amount of power at an Alicante industrial estate.

That inevitably means an illegal marijuana plantation with high volumes of electricity deployed for light and temperature controls.

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