In June 2016, the Guardia Civil searched two properties in Algaida - one on the industrial estate, the other a home. Both were in the name of a 45-year-old Spanish citizen.
The searches uncovered a vast amount of marijuana. There were 137 glass jars of the drug and 106 rubbish bags stashed with marijuana seeds. In addition, officers found a drying area that was sufficiently remote in order that the smell of marijuana wouldn't be detected, plus equipment such as lights and ventilators to assist growth.
In total, the Guardia seized 543 kilos of marijuana with a market value of - and the figure was very precise - 719,182 euros. There were also 47,600 euros in a wooden box.
The man was arrested and eventually appeared in court in the middle of last year and was handed a sentence of three and a half years. However, he didn't go to prison. His defence argued that the sentence should be suspended on the grounds that he was a drug addict. The court accepted this on condition that he didn't offend for the next five years and continued to undergo treatment to wean him off his addiction.