A 60-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in prison for transporting 18 kilos of cocaine and two of hashish to Mallorca. The drugs, valued at over one million euros, were found in the underside of his car at the port of Palma.
The Provincial Court issued a ruling this Thursday against a man who attempted to introduce a significant amount of drugs into Mallorca. The accused, aged 60 and with a history of fraud, accepted a plea deal between the Prosecutor's Office and his defence, which reduced the initial sentence from eight years to six years and one day in prison.
The events date back to April 24, when the convicted man arrived on the island aboard a ferry from Valencia. Early in the morning, officers from the Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) of the Tax Agency intercepted his vehicle, which had a British registration, at the port of Palma.
The discovery that uncovered the shipment
During the check, the agents searched the driver and found a plastic bag with two grams of cocaine hidden in a sock. This small discovery led investigators to thoroughly inspect the car. Upon dismantling the underside of the vehicle, they uncovered 28 plates of high-purity cocaine weighing a total of 18 kilos, as well as 80 plates of hashish with a total weight of 1.9 kilos.
The value of the drugs on the black market would have exceeded one million euros, according to the agents' estimates. The man was arrested on the spot and had since remained in provisional detention awaiting trial.
Plea agreement with the Prosecutor's Office
The Prosecutor's Office charged the accused with a crime against public health in its notable importance modality, due to the large quantity of narcotics he was transporting. Initially, they requested a sentence of eight years in prison and a fine of four million euros. However, after negotiations with the defence, represented by lawyer Álvaro Martín Olmos, an agreement was reached that reduced the sentence to six years and one day in prison and a fine of one million euros.
The court approved the agreement and issued a ruling on the spot, in a hearing held this morning. The convicted man has admitted to the facts, which facilitated the resolution of the case.
For the residents of Mallorca, this operation represents a new blow to drug trafficking on the island, a problem that authorities combat with periodic checks at ports and airports. The collaboration between the Civil Guard and the SVA has been key in detecting such shipments.
The convicted man, who must serve his sentence in prison, will also have to face the imposed fine. Security forces continue their surveillance efforts to prevent drugs from reaching the streets of the island.
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