National Police Shut Down Drug Point in Santa Cruz El Toscal
The National Police shut down a drug sales point in Santa Cruz de Tenerife's El Toscal neighborhood, arresting one person as part of an intensified fight against small-scale drug dealing.
The National Police has stepped up its fight against small-scale drug dealing in the city center of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. They recently carried out a new operation, shutting down a drug sales point in the El Toscal neighborhood. The police raid happened on Wednesday afternoon, highlighting that drug distribution spots are still active in residential areas of Tenerife's capital.
The operation started around 2:00 PM at a building on San Vicente Ferrer street, just a hundred meters from main roads like Méndez Núñez and García Sanabria Park. These kinds of operations highlight how concerned authorities are about businesses that pretend to be legal cannabis clubs but are actually fronts for selling illegal drugs. This issue causes public concern and creates safety problems.
Udyco's Street-Level Drug Dealing Group led the investigation and raid. They were supported by the Prevention and Reaction Unit (UPR), which secured the area, and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Local Police's K9 Unit, vital for finding drugs. During the raid, at least one person was arrested and taken to the South District Police Station to await a court appearance.
Information suggests the illegal activity at this location likely began in mid-2024. Local residents had noticed a steady stream of people going into the building and a strong smell of cannabis coming from inside. At first, visitors were mostly young or middle-aged men, either alone or with others. Later, more women started visiting, and some locals even suspect teenagers or children might be among the regular customers, which makes the problem even more worrying for the community.
This raid comes just weeks after a similar one by the same police unit. On January 15, Udyco's Street-Level Drug Dealing Group raided another business where Doctor Allart and Cruz Verde streets meet, also in a central part of Santa Cruz. In that incident, four people were arrested for selling hashish, marijuana, and rosin. That business had advertised online and drew in both locals and, significantly, tourists. These back-to-back operations show that the police are actively working to break up drug rings that hide within the city, impacting daily life and safety in important areas.