ARCHIVED - Illegal marijuana plantations held responsible for frequent power failures in Sevilla
Only 22 per cent of the electricity supplied to the Polígono Sur in Sevilla is delivered to customers with valid contracts
The Andalucía government Commissioner for the southern districts of the city of Sevilla has blamed a series of constant power cuts and electricity failures at least in part on the increase in domestic indoor marijuana plantations in what is one of the poorest urban areas of the regional capital, according to average earnings statistics.
According to Jaime Bretón, a “vicious circle” of power failures has been created with the ventilation, heating and illumination equipment used over-stretching the power supply and “saturating” transformers, leaving residents in the Polígono Sur literally in the dark.
This part of Sevilla is characterized by high unemployment rates, a high risk of social exclusion and high crime rates, and since last summer the power failures have become more frequent – especially during the cold snap of January when heating devices were being used all day. This is despite Endesa having installed a new transformer in the area in response to complaints from residents last summer.
It is also worth noting that only 22 per cent of the energy supplied to the area is used by customers with valid contracts, indicating the scale of the problem of others tapping into the electricity supply illegally, and Sr Bretón believes that the prevalence of indoor marijuana growing is largely responsible.
Endesa plans to spend a further 600,000 euros on improving infrastructures this year, but the Commissioner warns that this could merely create a situation in which residents seize the opportunity to grow more marijuana and the situation could spiral further out of control.
He praises the efforts being made by the electricity company and calls upon the authorities to clamp down on the “plantation apartments” in order to bring an end to the cycle, citing the recent efforts of the Drugs and Crime unit of the Policía Nacional in Andalucía (Udyco) in the district of Las Letanías as an example of how to proceed.
Image: archive Guardia Civíl examining indoor marijuana plantation