Officers belonging to the Policía Nacional in Motril rumbled a couple who had built a concealed cellar under their cortijo in Salobreña, where they grew weed.
The police called the investigation, Operación Miranda, during which they found 670 plants underneath a cortijo within the outer area of the municipality.
The two suspects arrested were a 40-year-old Spaniard with a criminal record and a 33-year-old British women with no criminal history. Both also stand accused of energy theft, as there was an illegal hook up to an electricity supply. The police have not ruled out further arrests in connection with this case.
Investigative work began a couple of months back when officers belonging to the Drugs Squad (Grupo de Estupefacientes) at the Motril police station, received information about somebody growing marihuana in a “rustic dwelling” within the municipality of Salobreña. The police found the information to be correct when they located it.
During the following weeks, they kept a close eye on the cortijo and managed to identify the people using it. Then, armed with a search warrant, they inspected the dwelling and found that there was a ramp leading to below the building. The cellar ran the length and width of the cortijo.
Gaining access, they found the indoor plantation, set up with automatic lighting, watering and ventilation systems. The cortijo had no contract for electricity but it had been connected up to the public, electricity-supply system.
(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)