Guardia Civil officers found guilty of prawn extortion
TONS of drugs are intercepted arriving to Almeria from North Africa each year, but rarely does prawn dealing make headline news.
Two Carboneras Guardia Civil officers have been found guilty for accepting two crates of prawns worth €600.
They were on trial, charged with accepting the crates in exchange for turning a blind eye and not reporting the arrival of an Algerian fishing boat in January 2007.
The officers, who work at Carboneras Port, were charged with coercion, and a third person accused of acting as an accomplice and deciding that they should take part of the boat’s shipment, threatening that otherwise, it would be reported, and the produce it was carrying, confiscated.
The public prosecution claims that the prawns were subject to be sold without complying with Spanish laws.
The prosecution reduced the penalty from three to two years suspension and a fine of €500 each for the officers, while the other man has been found guilty of coercion and faces one year in prison and one year’s suspension.
The People’s Jury of 13 members gave the verdict after 16 hours deliberation.
The officers have said that they intend to appeal the decision.