Police shut down cannabis clubs in Tenerife for drug trafficking
A large-scale criminal organisation dedicated to growing, processing and distributing drugs through illegal cannabis clubs has been dismantled in Tenerife following a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and the Customs Surveillance Unit of Spain’s Tax Agency.
The operation, known as Brotherbross, ended with 14 arrests, including suspects with extensive criminal records for offences against public health. Officers seized large quantities of drugs and cash stored inside the homes of those involved.
The investigation began in November 2024 after a complaint was filed with the Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Detectives identified a network that controlled a chain of illegal cannabis associations across different municipalities, using them as secret distribution points run by other people.
In the final phase of the operation, coordinated raids took place at six cannabis clubs located in Adeje, El Fraile, San Isidro, Abades and Las Caletillas. All six premises were closed and sealed by the authorities.
Officers also searched a specialist extraction laboratory, two rural properties used for marijuana cultivation, three indoor growing facilities, and five homes belonging to the main suspects. In total, investigators recovered 70 kilos of marijuana, almost 9 kilos of hashish, over a kilo of hash resin, 1,736 marijuana plants, 57 grams of cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, 116 grams of high-purity “rosin”, €109,452 in cash, and two guns.
Police say shutting these sites has completely dismantled the gang’s entire drug operation.
Among those arrested is the alleged leader of the network, known on social media as “El Santo”, who promoted himself as “the world’s best cannabis extractor.” He reportedly travelled to countries such as Argentina, Thailand and Italy to advertise his brand and showcase his extraction techniques for products like rosin and bubble hash.
Several of his close associates were also detained, including those responsible for managing the organisation’s finances and installing equipment used to run the illegal operations.
The detainees were brought before the Court of Instruction No. 1 in Granadilla de Abona. Three of the suspects have been remanded in provisional custody while the investigation continues.
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