The Arona Local Police have arrested a 36-year-old man after he threatened to set fire to a bakery in Las Galletas (Arona) using a homemade petrol bomb known as a ‘Molotov cocktail’.
The incident took place last Saturday (15th February) at approximately 10:30am when the Local Police control and communications centre received several calls reporting a public disturbance on Calle Sol del Sur.
According to eyewitness accounts, the suspect was causing disruptions in the area and had made threats to start a fire inside a bakery.
Due to the severity of the situation, a police unit was dispatched to the location given, and upon arrival, several witnesses informed the officers that the suspect had fled the area after seeing the police coming.
Suspect Caught While Attempting to Escape
With the help of bystanders, officers tracked down the suspect, identified as a Venezuelan resident of the island, as he attempted to leave via Calle Fernando Salazar.
When intercepted, the man was highly agitated and confrontational, and repeatedly insisted on his intention to burn down the bakery, even claiming that he would do so in front of the police if necessary.
Drug Possession Leads to Further Charges
A preventive search was conducted, during which officers found a sealed package containing two blocks of a brown substance, suspected to be hashish.
To confirm the quantity, officers took the package to a nearby chemist to weigh it, where it was recorded at 243.65 grams. Since this amount exceeded the legal possession limit for ‘own use’, the man was immediately placed under arrest for possession of an illegal substance.
According to police sources, the suspect admitted to selling the drug in portions, claiming that it was his only source of income.
Following the completion of police reports, both the suspect and the confiscated drugs were handed over to the Guardia Civil’s main station in Playa de Las Américas, where the man was placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.
