Derbah Faces Trial Over Alleged €150k Weekly Tenerife Extortion

Prosecutors believe a criminal group, allegedly led by Lebanese businessman Mohamed Derbah, may have made around 150,000 euros (25 million pesetas) each week. This money supposedly came from threatening and extorting business owners in Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje between the late 1990s and November 2001.

This group was broken up in Operation Cedar, led by former judge Baltasar Garzón, which ended with 18 arrests.

Nearly 25 years later, a dozen of those arrested are now on trial at the National Court, where proceedings began last week. They face charges including forming a criminal group, ongoing fraud, money laundering, illegal weapons possession, bribery, revealing secrets, and failing to report crimes.

The defendants include Mohamed Derbah, his two brothers, several front men, a father and daughter, a bank branch manager, and a retired Civil Guard commander.

According to the indictment, prosecutors accuse Derbah and his inner circle of four counts of making threats. They allegedly warned business owners to hire their private security services. If they did, their establishments wouldn't suffer fights or serious damage – damage that, prosecutors claim, was often caused by some of the defendants themselves.

To carry this out, they reportedly used three security companies which, despite appearing legitimate, were fronts for threatening and pressuring business owners in hospitality and trade, among other sectors.

Victims were allegedly forced to pay the group a monthly fee to guarantee their peace of mind and what seemed like security, prosecutors say.

Many victims were foreign investors who paid between 600 and 6,000 euros a month for 'protection'. The exact amount depended on the size of the business. A team of 'professionals' carried out the threats and pressure, including one person who is now a fugitive.

One alleged victim was the owner of a venue in the Verónicas shopping centers in Playa de las Américas (Arona), who paid 570 euros (95,000 pesetas) for months for 'security' to stop fights in his place.

A second business owner faced a similar situation. To hide the pressure he was allegedly under from the group, he signed a contract with one of the companies controlled by Derbah and his associates, prosecutors say. This victim ran three venues and had a much higher daily income than others. So, his payment to Derbah's group was 1,568.6 euros (261,000 pesetas). Again, this was disguised as a legitimate contract.

Investigators told prosecutors that another businessman was visited by three unknown individuals who claimed to represent one of the defendants. They demanded a monthly payment of 300 euros (50,000 pesetas) for 'protection'. Their threat was clear: if he refused to pay, they would return to destroy his business and "break his head."

As often seen in movies, extorting business owners for 'protection money' is a classic mafia tactic. Nightlife venues in the Verónicas shopping centers were targeted, especially from the 1990s onwards, but also in the late 80s.

Back then, particularly up to 30 years ago, the area was thriving, with thousands of tourists and locals filling its clubs and pubs every night. However, heavy drinking and drug use often led to violence, brawls, and chaotic fights, some of which caused deaths or serious injuries. Criminal groups took advantage of this chaotic environment to offer 'protection' services. Even today, three decades later, videos of large brawls and brutal attacks in and around Verónicas still regularly appear on social media.