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Date Published: 21/03/2023

ARCHIVED - Torrevieja included in UN report warning of increased violence linked to cocaine trafficking

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The United Nations claims the Vega Baja town, Alicante province, has suffered "a deterioration in public safety due to drug trafficking"

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Torrevieja included in UN report warning of increased violence linked to cocaine trafficking

Public safety has deteriorated in Torrevieja due to a rise in drug trafficking, according to a new report by the United Nations.

The town in the Vega Baja region of Alicante province has been included in a UN document warning of increased violence worldwide linked to cocaine trafficking.

The World Cocaine Report 2023 published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states that murders, kidnappings and shootings related to cocaine trafficking have increased in Europe.

Closer to home, Spanish regions experiencing the greatest problems include the Levante area in the Valencia Community, and specifically Torrevieja.

Last May, the Guardia Civil dismantled a narcotics organisation that ran a cocaine home delivery service in Torrevieja, leading to seven arrests.

"In recent years, an increase in serious violent incidents related to organised crime, particularly in drug markets, has been observed in some European Union (EU) countries and neighbouring regions," warns the report.

Also read: Tough new Alicante noise pollution rules ban music on the beach and watching footy outside a bar

According to the UNODC, the arrival of new criminal groups, attracted by the growing market for cocaine and cannabis, has fuelled violence, including shootings and bombings.

Experts believe that competition between Balkan gangs has manifested itself in murders in EU countries such as Spain, Greece and the Netherlands.

While the report notes that public security problems associated with drug trafficking have been identified in southern Spain, most notably the Costa del Sol, "in Spain's eastern provinces, there have also been signs of increased threats to public security from cocaine and cannabis smuggling."

The UNODC cites Torrevieja as an example where "a deterioration of public security due to drug trafficking has been detected", forcing the government "to increase judicial and police resources due to the presence of criminal organisations, many of them from Eastern Europe."

"Torrevieja, with 80,000 inhabitants, lacked a court in 2000 and the government had to create a court and reinforce police presence due to the existence of organised crime groups," states the report.

The UN indicates that the main entry points for cocaine into Spain are Galicia, Andalusia and Valencia, followed by the Canary Islands and Catalonia.

Image: Policia Nacional

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