Push for Harsher Penalties After Major Drug Bust
The Catalan government is calling for tougher prison sentences for large-scale marijuana trafficking, following the seizure of 8,025 kilograms of hashish in an industrial warehouse in Cabanes (Alt Empordà) on 1 October 2026. The operation, led by the Mossos d'Esquadra, resulted in the arrest of seven men suspected of involvement in an international drug trafficking network. The drugs, hidden among legal goods in a trailer, had an estimated street value of over €16.2 million. Interior Minister Núria Parlon reiterated her department's push to amend the Spanish Penal Code, proposing that jail terms for possession and trafficking of marijuana rise from the current one to three years to six to nine years, particularly in cases involving large plantations or national and international distribution networks.
The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is now much more potent than when legislation first distinguished between hard and soft drugs.
In an interview with El Periódico, Parlon stated: "The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is now much more potent than when legislation first distinguished between hard and soft drugs," adding that "marijuana is now much more toxic, and specialists warn of highly harmful effects on brain development in young people."
Public Health and Safety Concerns
Parlon highlighted additional risks linked to marijuana production, including illegal electrical connections in buildings used as 'narcosquats' that increase the risk of fire, as well as financial losses due to power irregularities. She stressed the need to adapt legal penalties to the current scale of organised crime, particularly when international networks are involved. "The penal response must be proportionate to the seriousness of the acts," she said. The Interior Department also emphasized the importance of dismantling logistical and financial infrastructures that sustain drug trafficking, citing the Cabanes raid as an example of successful intelligence-led policing.
We must combine prevention, health protection, specialised investigation, and proportionate penalties.
Parlon called for strengthened specialised investigations, police intelligence, inter-agency coordination, and international cooperation to combat networks operating beyond Catalonia.
The Mossos' 1 October operation was the culmination of an investigation launched in June 2026. A firearm was also recovered from a vehicle linked to the suspects, underscoring the violent potential of such criminal groups.
Primary sources: dsp.interior.gencat.cat. Reported by elperiodico.com, Marta Puig i Vidal, L'Empordà, en.ara.cat, diariosigloxxi.com, elcaso.elnacional.cat, Europa Press, El Periódico (CA).
