POLICE have busted an illegal cannabis shop in Marbella after discovering its managers were hiding slabs of hashish inside chocolate wrappers.
Three people have been arrested after officers swooped on the alleged dealers’ home, retrieving 11 blocks of hashish from the back of a freezer alongside €32,000 in cash.
Policia Nacional also raided the gang’s alleged selling point – an establishment in central Marbella – arresting a further two people and seizing around 50 rolled-up joints, 3.4kg of marijuana and 20 THC vapes. THC is the psychoactive substance found in cannabis.
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Investigators said the shop was legally registered as a cannabis social club – a members’ association that operates in a legal grey area in Spain, allowing registered members to consume marijuana or hashish privately.
However, police said the club was instead selling drugs to the general public, which can amount to drug trafficking under Spanish law.
Investigators have now applied to a local court for an order to temporarily close the premises, officials said.
The raids, carried out under the name ‘Operation Barrio’, began after authorities received information that the business was allegedly selling drugs to customers, sources said.
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