A joint operation by the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil

• Searches have been carried out on a rural property and a cannabis association

• There are three Italian nationals arrested who were growing the plants on a farm rented by one of them and then taking them to a cannabis club located in a tourist area.

• In the club itself they were responsible for producing various high-quality narcotic products, among which 'Drysift' stands out, a type of hashish for which they were known among foreign visitors to the area.

May 9, 2023.- Customs Surveillance of the Tax Agency and the Civil Guard, in a joint operation, have dismantled in Tenerife a criminal group dedicated to the cultivation and trafficking of various drugs, including 'Drysift' hashish. Three Italian nationals were arrested as part of this operation.

As a result of the fiscal inspection points carried out by the Customs Surveillance Operational Unit in Tenerife and the Fiscal and Border Protection Section of the Civil Guard –Udaiff unit of Santa Cruz de Tenerife–, several shipments of diverse material for the large-scale indoor cultivation of marijuana were detected, including natural and chemical fertilizers, tubes, halogen lamps and gloves.

For this reason, the authors of these shipments were located and identified within the framework of Operation 'Drysift'. The investigations led investigators to a perfectly organized group of individuals of Italian origin who owned a marijuana cultivation structure on a farm in the south of Tenerife.

This farm was used by one of the detainees to carry out large-scale production, taking care of the plants and growing them, and then transporting the marijuana to the cannabis club owned by another member of the organization.

It was in this club where, after different techniques, such as washing and dry sifting the marijuana, the base material was extracted to press it and generate the high-quality substance, known among consumers as 'Drysift', which was later sold by the third detainee, who attended the establishment.

Entries and records

On April 20, after suspecting illegal activity, investigators raided and searched both the farm where the substances were grown and the club where they were processed and sold.

Following these searches, the active drug sales point was dismantled, seizing 497 marijuana plants, 7,581 grams of packaged marijuana, 108 grams of hashish, 360 milliliters of hashish cream and 72 units of manufactured cigarettes. The items seized include halogen lamps and LED spotlights, mixing, drying and pressing instruments, extractors, computers and mobile phones belonging to the organisation.

The point of sale was protected under an alleged cannabis association that, in reality, had been established as an active point for the sale and consumption of high-quality drugs, which produce stronger and more persistent effects among consumers than those usually sold in this type of establishment.

The narcotic substances were cultivated, processed and marketed by the organisation, which had created a complete production and sales chain.

The detainees were taken to the premises of the Fiscal and Border Section of the Civil Guard in the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where proceedings were initiated, and on the morning of April 21 they were brought before the Court of Instruction on duty in Granadilla de Abona.