[Animals] An anti-drug operation uncovers the largest case of animal abuse in the Balearic Islands

[Noticias ALEJANDRO]

 

A real horror. This is how a witness describes the situation that the agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard of the Balearic Islands encountered this Thursday morning who broke into a farm in the Son Malferit neighborhood of Palma to dismantle an organization dedicated to drug trafficking. In it, the agents discovered more than 150 specimens of different animal species in very poor condition, surrounded by dirt accumulated from months and with evident skin lesions and thinness due to lack of food. Dogs crammed into cages, specimens living with dead animals and horses in the open without the possibility of shelter are part of a case that the Nature Protection Service of the Civil Guard considers the largest episode of animal abuse ever seen in the Balearic Islands in terms of number of individuals involved.

It all started a few days ago, when group II of Narcotics of the National Police of the islands began surveillance on the plot in which it was suspected that marijuana and hashish trafficking was practiced on a small and medium scale. After several days of control, the agents in charge of the case observed that the group of people who lived on the farm, who have been arrested, were holding a large number of animals in terrible conditions that endangered their lives. The Seprona joined the investigations and the situation was reported to the court, which authorized the entry and search of the farm on Thursday morning. "We knew there were animals inside, but we didn't think so many," says Lieutenant Pedro García from Seprona de Baleares.

The Civil Guard suspects that the organization that lived on the farm used it as an illegal kennel for various breeds of dogs and species such as roosters. Upon entering the facilities, the agents found animals in very poor condition, according to a source present at the operation.

A pony and a horse were found in a small enclosure in the open and without the possibility of shelter, more than fifty dogs with mutilated ears and tails and turtles swimming in a pond among dead rats. Seprona agents, supported by veterinarians from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and by a specialist in animal behavior medicine, seized 40 American bully dogs, 16 Chihuahuas, 120 roosters, a pony, a horse, a Vietnamese pig , several turtles and even a carnivorous fish.

"The conditions were very poor and even many animals were in a swamp full of excrement and water. We are awaiting the veterinary report because some were limping, they had skin problems that must be checked, others were thin. Most had a fearful behavior, "says the lieutenant of Seprona. The animals were removed from the farm and have already been transferred to an animal recovery center on the island for their care and treatment of any diseases they may suffer from. Their final future will depend on the course of the investigation and the procedure against the owners of the farm, who if they are acquitted and prove their ownership could recover them.

The operation has finally resulted in the arrest of seven people of Spanish nationality between 35 and 45 years old who have gone to court this Friday. All of them are attributed a crime of drug trafficking, while six are also charged with crimes of animal abuse. During the search, National Police agents seized about three kilos of marijuana and hashish and dismantled two marijuana plantations with about 400 plants. The investigation continues to clarify the facts and verify the use of the animals for illicit activities, such as breeding. The Penal Code in its article 337 sti[CENSORED]tes penalties of between three months and one day and one year in prison for those who by any means or procedure unjustifiably mistreat an animal, causing it injuries that seriously damage its health.

 

https://elpais.com/clima-y-medio-ambiente/2021-11-26/una-operacion-antidroga-destapa-el-mayor-caso-de-maltrato-animal-de-baleares.html