Between November 2016 and May 2018, a drugs gang was moving cocaine from Galicia to Majorca. A National Police operation, "Yunque", brought its activities to an end, and the trial of the alleged ringleader - identified as M.A.R. - started at the Provincial Court in Palma on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old, who was sentenced to seven and a half years for drugs trafficking in 2009, now faces the same sentence. On Wednesday, denied his involvement and refused to answer questions except from his lawyer, who he changed following what he says was the failure by the prosecution service to stick to a promise of a lighter sentence. He had previously admitted his involvement and had entered into an agreement with the prosecution.
He admits having been to Son Banya in Palma, the most infamous sales point for drugs in Majorca, but disputes National Police claims regarding the number of trips he had been making from Galicia to Majorca; it hadn't been him. Telephone conversations recorded by the police suggest that he had been giving instructions to one gang member in Palma and that he had ticked off another member because of the poor quality of a consignment of cocaine.
The prosecution maintains that he was at the head of a structure in Majorca and that he had been helped by two brothers in coordinating deliveries from Galicia. The drugs had been sent to Galicia from Andalusia and then forwarded to Majorca in vehicles with hidden compartments.
The police operation involved raids in Llucmajor and Ses Salines as well as in Galicia. Fourteen kilos of cocaine were seized, and eleven people were arrested. They are all in court in Palma. Five are said to have admitted the facts and come to an agreement with the prosecution service for a lighter sentence.