The Guardia Civil have uncovered a huge cannabis plantation in the region of Navarra and have arrested three people for illegally cultivating the drug, according to an official press release. It states that they have been working in conjunction with the regional Policía Foral and that two other people are under investigation in the neighbouring Basque Country region.
The Guardia Civil have said that the 1,025-acre plantation (4.1 million square metres) is the largest of its kind in Europe, and that the owner claims the crop is for industrial use.
However, investigators suspected the hemp plants were being sent to Switzerland and Italy to be turned into Cannabidiol, or CBD, the production of which is illegal in Spain.
CBD is sometimes used in medical treatments, as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is extracted from cannabis plants, and is the main component of the drug marijuana.
Operación conjunta con @guardiacivil: desmantelamos la mayor plantación de cáñamo industrial de Europa destinada al tráfico de drogas. 415.000 plantas, 87.500kg cogollos. Compañero fuera de servicio descubrió uno de los cultivos y comenzó la investigación #BuenTrabajo #cannabis pic.twitter.com/BW2U1hcqF8
— Policía Foral - Foruzaingoa (@policiaforal_na) April 13, 2022
In total, the police destroyed 415,000 hemp plants that were intended to be sold for almost 30 million euros. Third parties in foreign countries would then process the plants into CBD, worth around 100 million euros, according to the press release.
The growers had already prepared some of the plants to be shipped abroad, however, the majority of the plants were still on the fields.
