A taxi driver has been arrested for allegedly using his licenced vehicle to sell cocaine in the Los Tarahales area of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria. The arrest was carried out by the Local Police following reports from concerned residents who had observed suspicious activity around his cab.
According to sources from the Local Police, officers from the Operational Intervention and Support Group (GOIA) were deployed to the area on Friday night after receiving tip-offs about possible drug transactions.
At around 10:00pm, officers spotted a taxi pulling up near a bar on the main road through Los Tarahales, and shortly after, a man came out of the bar, got into the taxi, and then left the vehicle less than a minute later.
The officers, suspicious of the brief interaction, stopped the man and discovered he was carrying a small packet containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine. He has been issued with a fine for possession of illegal drugs.
The police then intercepted the taxi and conducted a search of the vehicle, during which they found several packets of cocaine hidden inside it. As a result, the driver was arrested on suspicion of committing a drug trafficking offence. His taxi was subsequently impounded and taken to the municipal pound.
The investigation remains open, as authorities work to determine whether the suspect was acting alone or as part of a wider network.
