Four individuals were detained by authorities in Vélez-Málaga amid investigations into a kidnapping case tied to a cannabis operation on a farm near Sayalonga. Police sources indicate that the arrests followed a broader inquiry into the alleged theft of processed goods from a work site, with suspects believed to be responsible for the disruption and coercion that affected several workers. The detainees face charges related to kidnapping, threats, and violent acts, along with accusations linked to public health concerns arising from the alleged drug production on the farm. This case illustrates the authorities’ focus on criminal networks that combine labor exploitation with illicit drug cultivation, livestock, or processing activities. (Attribution: National Police of Spain)
Operation Verdoso, initiated in December by agents from the Vélez-Málaga Local Police Station, targeted a serious abuse of power connected to a cannabis plantation. A formal complaint from a worker indicated that he and others were held on a Sayalonga farm for three days, allegedly forced to participate in cultivation tasks such as weeding, drying, packaging, and distribution of the cannabis product. The investigation revealed a scheme in which a principal complainant and two colleagues were brought in under questionable terms to work on the plantation and were subjected to coercive measures during the period of detention. In the early hours of a workday, three masked individuals armed with a firearm and a machete allegedly assaulted workers and stole the finished goods. After the theft, the farm owners reportedly questioned the victims’ versions and opted to detain two men at the same location. (Attribution: Local Police, Vélez-Málaga)
The captivity extended for several days, during which the victims were restrained, interrogated, and subjected to violence. Reports describe intensified assaults and coercive acts, including forced ingestion of excrement or drugs, along with other torture methods such as hair pulling and branding with a hot sword. Investigators are treating these acts as serious offenses that reflect a pattern of mistreatment during captivity. (Attribution: Málaga Judicial Police)
Inquiries eventually led researchers to a second victim who had not initially reported the incident due to fear. This individual was released before the primary complainant, allegedly after a partial compensation was paid by his family in the amount of 15,000 euros. The first victim, who reported the robbery and kidnapping to authorities, was released later after the partner consented to a ransom of 30,000 euros and the transfer of a vehicle. Given the gravity of the allegations, the Malaga Organized Crime Group, the Udyco Unit, and the Vélez-Málaga Local Judicial Police Group, in collaboration with the Malaga Scientific Police Brigade, conducted a coordinated operation to locate and arrest four suspects in the Axarquia region. Investigators found 331 cannabis plants on the farm and documented the implements used during the abuse, including the weaponry described by the victims. (Attribution: Malaga Provincial Police Command)
The court overseeing the case, Instruction Court No. 3 of Vélez-Málaga, ordered pre-trial detention for two of the arrestees. Authorities continue to gather evidence and conduct interviews as part of the ongoing investigation, which remains focused on dismantling a criminal network that allegedly tied labor exploitation to drug production and violent coercion. No further details of the defendants’ identities are disclosed in this report to protect ongoing legal proceedings. (Attribution: Vélez-Málaga Judicial Authorities)