In Lleida, three men have been sentenced to four years in prison each and fined €154,000 for drug trafficking in Val d'Aran. The Audiència de Lleida handed down the sentences after the accused admitted the charges on Thursday, following a plea agreement between their defence teams and the Public Prosecutor's Office.

The prosecution had initially sought six-year prison terms and fines totalling more than €900,000. Under the agreement, charges linked to belonging to a criminal group were withdrawn, and mitigating circumstances were applied for drug addiction and undue delays in the legal process. The arrests took place just over two years ago, when Mossos d'Esquadra officers seized drugs valued at about €102,000 from a van and a hostel where the men were staying.

The investigation began on 6 March 2024 after a preventative stop by Mossos d'Esquadra on the N-230 road, at the northern exit of the Vielha tunnel. With help from the Canine Unit, officers stopped a van and found nearly a kilo of MDMA, several quantities of hashish, and cutting agents. The driver was arrested at the scene.

Police later linked the driver, who was described as a supplier, to two other men staying at a hostel in Vielha since late February. According to officials, the two were responsible for distributing the drugs. All three men were from the Tarragona region and had travelled to Val d'Aran to enter the local drug market. That same night, Mossos d'Esquadra arrested the other two men at a hotel in Vielha.

A search of their room uncovered more MDMA, hashish, cocaine, 301 ecstasy pills, precision scales and materials for preparing doses. The total street value of the seized drugs was put at more than €102,000. The court also ordered the confiscation of all narcotics and related items.

The magistrate convicted the three men of a public health offence involving drug trafficking of substances causing serious harm to health, deemed of significant importance, as well as drug trafficking involving substances causing less serious harm to health. Each man also faces a subsidiary penalty of 100 days in prison if the fine is not paid. All parties waived their right to appeal, so the sentence is final.

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