264 kilos of cocaine seized from container at the port

(Photo: Guardia Civil)

ALGECIRAS The Guardia Civil announced yesterday that it had seized 264 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container in transit at Algeciras, coming from Argentina. Four people were arrested when they attempted to collect the drug, all of whom are in jail. The GC statement said that they established an operation that watched the container, loaded onto a tractor truck at the cargo terminal; when the truck was stopped and inspected, they found several bags full of the packaged cocaine and arrested three men. Involved, too, was a third man who had access to the container terminal with a van belonging to his employer; he was also arrested. 

Head of layoff-fund scam and driver “spent 25,000 euros a month on drugs,” court hears

(Photo: noticias.terra.es)

Trujillo was sent to prison without bail

SEVILLA (El País / Javier Martín Arroyo) The former chauffeur of an ex-official in the Andalusian administration at the head of an alleged multimillion-euro layoff scam involving public funds said on Tuesday that he and his boss spent tens of thousands of euros of the region’s money on cocaine every month. Juan Francisco Trujillo, the then-driver of regional employment office chief Javier Guerrero, told Judge Mercedes Ayala that he and his boss spent around 25,000 euros a month on cocaine that they shared in “marathon sessions.” They consumed up to five grams a day. Trujillo received 1.3 million euros from a 650-million slush fund managed by Guerrero that was allegedly used to pay generous but unmerited early retirement packages to friends, family members and political allies.>>>

Cocaine use goes down in Spain

SPAIN (El País) Cocaine use in Spain has fallen over the last year among people between the ages of 15 and 34, the Lisbon-based European Monitor Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction said Tuesday. In a report, the EMCDDA said that Spain has joined the list of countries - including Denmark, Italy and the United Kingdom, which had been four of the five nations in the past with highest levels of use - now reporting a decline. "The financial burden associated with regular cocaine use may make it a less attractive option in countries where austerity is now the order of the day," says the Annual Report 2011: The State of the Drugs Problem in Europe.

Cocaine: the family's story

(Illustration only)

GIBRALTAR (GibChronicle/Brian Reyes) Like many people in Gibraltar, Rachel has been personally touched by the scourge of drugs. Someone she loves is hooked on cocaine. Unlike most others, however, there is another dimension to her problem. John is a dealer too, and he is currently serving a long stretch in prison. The names have been changed to protect their privacy, but the message is as raw as it is real. Rachel cannot hide her emotions as she recounts the harsh reality of life with a person addicted to hard drugs. "It's like I'm inside a wave and I'm drowning and I can't get free," she said. The couple met seven years ago when they were both at a low point in their lives. She, in her late 30s, had just divorced and was raising a daughter. He, early 20s, had grown up in a troubled background and had just broken up from his ex girlfriend, the mother of his young child.>>>

Cocaine and heart damage: the silent killer

WORLD We knew about neurological damage, psychiatric problems, destruction of the nasal passages ... these are some of the consequences of habitual cocaine use. But there is more, according to recent research carried out by the Fondazione G. Monasterio, of Pisa, Italy: heart disease or damage. This has been found to derive directly from cocaine and, to make it worse, the dmage may not be noticed until it is too late. Previous studies related to cocaine use and abuse pointed out that the drug could be behind about 3% of sudden deaths and 25% of non-fatal heart attacks in the under-45 age bracket. But most if not all of these studies were based on autopsies or tests carried out after the attacks. The aim of this Italian study was>>>

Spain consumes most cocaine in Europe

EUROPE/SPAIN Spain is the European country that consumes most cocaine, according to a report by the UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). Among people of between 15 and 64, 3.1% have used the substance, followed by the UK (2.4%), Italy (2.2%) and Ireland (1.7%). The data used in the report was taken from 2007 to 2009, using the latest figures available in each country. Therefore, although there was a mild descent of cocaine use in the UK, and it had levelled in Italy and Spain, it was on the increase in Albania, Cyprus, Denmark, Norway and Czech. The report also points out that Spain is the principal country of entry for drugs, particularly by sea. The largest drug hauls in Spain have happened in international waters - two thirds in 2007 - and only 2% on beaches and 6% at airports. It also states that it is estimated that 93% of cannabis resin (hashish) originates in Morrocco.>