La Palma Man Sentenced to Five Years for Drug Trafficking

The Provincial Court of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has sentenced a resident of Mazo, La Palma, to five years in prison and a €42,000 fine for drug trafficking. The court rejected the defense’s attempts to have the case dismissed, which had argued that the police violated home privacy rights and mishandled the evidence.

The investigation began in early 2025, when the Civil Guard in Santa Cruz de La Palma noticed a steady stream of people visiting the defendant’s home. After officers stopped several buyers and found them carrying high-purity cocaine—ranging from 68% to 83%—they obtained a warrant and searched the property on January 24.

The defense argued that most of the 300 grams of cocaine seized were found on an exterior wall outside the home, claiming this should invalidate the evidence. However, the court ruled that the location of the drugs did not protect the defendant from prosecution. Additionally, the judges dismissed claims that the chain of custody was broken due to delays in transferring the substances to authorities, confirming that police procedures were followed correctly.

The sentence was influenced by the defendant’s history of similar crimes. He had previously been convicted of drug trafficking in 2017 and received a suspended sentence that lasted until 2023. Because of this record, the court imposed a significant penalty, though it was slightly lower than the six-year sentence and €52,500 fine originally requested by prosecutors.

During the raid, police seized a digital scale, mobile phones, and cash from both the defendant’s home and a business he managed in Santa Cruz de La Palma. Experts estimate the seized drugs had a street value of nearly €17,500. The court has ordered the confiscation of these assets, with the cash to be applied toward the defendant's fine. Having been held in custody since a month after the raid, the defendant will now serve the remainder of his sentence.