The National Police have dismantled a criminal gang operating in the Cruz de Piedra neighbourhood of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, arresting four people, one of them a teenager, who were allegedly involved in selling crack cocaine to students near local schools.
The two-month investigation culminated in a police operation on 2nd April, authorised by Investigative Court No. 5 of Las Palmas.
During the operation, officers carried out searches at four properties and seized 75 grams of crack, 5.3 grams of cocaine, 276 grams of hashish, 7.7 grams of hashish pollen, a compressed air pistol, €2,830 in cash (in small denominations), precision scales, and cutting agents. According to the police, this material was sufficient for preparing at least 1,500 individual doses ready for sale and distribution.
The Canary Islands Police Headquarters highlighted the seriousness of the case, noting that the group posed a significant threat to public safety by operating so close to schools. The drugs were distributed from a street-level selling point in an area frequented by pupils.
The gang employed strict security measures to avoid detection, including the use of a 17-year-old boy to handle street-level sales to students. The drugs were hidden in bags stashed in the doorway of a building linked to the suspects, making it more difficult for authorities to directly associate the stash with the dealers.
Police reported that the steady flow of drug users caused significant degradation of the local environment, further heightening insecurity in an area surrounded by schools of various levels.
The arrests were carried out by the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit (UDYCO), with support from the Special Security Operations Group (GOES) and the Police Intervention Unit (UIP). The adult suspects have been handed over to the judicial authorities, while the minor is now in the custody of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
