Alex Trelinski
A GUARDIA Civil helicopter stumbled upon a massive marijuana farm run by two Albanians in Spain’s northern La Rioja region.
Officers flying over the Aldeanueva de Ebro area spotted a large plantation hidden within a pine forest in an area that was difficult to access.
The helicopter descended to make a more precise check and confirmed the existence of a marijuana farm.
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Two men who saw and heard the chopper ran off to hide amongst the trees.
Guardia land patrols were scrambled to the site as the helicopter made an emergency landing.
One of the two plantation keepers, aged 35, was arrested but his colleague escaped- dropping his ID documents which led to his subsequent identification and detention.
1,356 cannabis plants were seized that could produce 180 kilos of marijuana with an estimated street value of €350,000.
The Guardia said the site had all the necessary equipment to facilitate large-scale production of the plants.
It even had a camp where the two Albanians lived and monitored the farm around the clock including surveillance spots where they looked out for police intervention or rival drug gangs.
A Guardia Civil spokesperson said: “Nothing was left to chance with everything designed to ensure production and anticipate any threat.”
What they clearly did not bargain for was a helicopter patrol detecting their clandestine operation.
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