Marijuana Cultivation Network Dismantled in Alcoy, L'Alqueria d'Asnar, and Cocentaina

A joint operation by the Civil Guard and National Police has led to six arrests and the seizure of over a thousand plants.

Generic image of cannabis plants in an indoor cultivation, with artificial lights.
IA

Generic image of cannabis plants in an indoor cultivation, with artificial lights.

The Civil Guard and National Police have dismantled a network dedicated to indoor marijuana cultivation, with plantations located in Alcoy, L'Alqueria d'Asnar, and Cocentaina, resulting in six arrests.

The operation, carried out in three phases between February and April, involved 21 searches and raids. In total, 1,121 marijuana plants, over five kilograms of the substance, 270 grams of hashish, several long air rifles, 44 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition, and dozens of prohibited and bladed weapons were seized.
The investigation began in late February, after agents from the Civil Guard's Roca Team in Ibi and the Local Judicial Police Brigade in Alcoy received information about potential intensive marijuana cultivation in the area. Following weeks of surveillance, the operational phase commenced with judicial authorization.
The first intervention took place in L'Alqueria d'Asnar, where two plantations were located in urban residential properties. Here, agents seized 540 marijuana plants and 240 grams of hashish, and arrested a man and a woman as alleged perpetrators.
The second phase unfolded in mid-March in the urban center of Alcoy. In this part of the operation, three individuals were arrested, and three more plantations were dismantled. These crops were found inside several uninhabited building blocks in the city center, declared ruinous by the Alcoy City Council. The operation mobilized over fifty agents, leading to the discovery of 581 marijuana plants, five kilograms of buds ready for sale, ammunition, and various prohibited weapons, including 44 .22 caliber metallic cartridges, simulated weapons, brass knuckles, tasers, sword canes, and daggers.
The investigation also revealed that the plantations were equipped with lighting, ventilation, and irrigation systems for intensive cultivation, with electricity supplied through illegal connections to the grid.
The third and final phase was conducted in early April at a country house in the rural area of L'Alqueria de Benifloret, in Cocentaina. Here, 127 grams of marijuana and various cultivation tools were found, along with another illegal electrical connection. A woman was arrested as the alleged person responsible for this plantation.