First modification:
‘Fariña’ is how cocaine is known in Galician. Large port of entry to Spain located on the Atlantic, Galicia has historically been the scene of smuggling and drug trafficking, from cigarettes to cocaine. The book ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, recently translated into French by Le Cherche Midi, is a living x-ray of half a century of illegal trade in that society.
Galicia has 1,480 kilometers of coastline, divided into three regions: Rias Baixas, Costa da Morte and Rias Altas. Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Carretero traveled through it for several years to write ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, a book whose first edition in Spanish faced obstruction from the authorities and even attempted prosecution.
“To this day I do not know the reason why, in legal terms, the book was seized, that is, its sale, its publication, even its printing was prohibited. I think, if I am honest, it was due to a judicial error, but I do not I think it was because of the springs of power or a conspiracy theory that was hidden behind it. To this day we still wonder why it happened, because this is something that does not happen in Spain”, assures the guest of Escala in Paris.
Fishing and cigarette trafficking
Galicia was an extremely poor area, which would explain why at the end of the Spanish civil war, many fishing families began to dedicate themselves to cigarette trafficking, a very lucrative activity in which the traffickers, the authorities, the church participated, with no real presence of the Spanish state.
This situation lasted for several decades, so that “smuggling was something very beneficial for the population, tobacco gave employment, it gave wealth, so the smugglers were seen as social benefactors, as social leaders who had contacts at the highest political level. , policemen, and they were socially respected. So neither the politicians nor the authorities considered it necessary to intervene and dismantle a business that was well seen. And when the State realized it, it was already too late and there was a mafia network established in Galicia “.
In the 1980s, the rules and conditions for fighting trafficking changed, with Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union, being decisive.
Nacho Carretero considers that joining the EEC changed the legislation, the media and also the borders, since until then smugglers and traffickers could take refuge in Portugal or France by crossing the border.
The 80s, the jump to drug trafficking
“Before joining the European Union, smuggling and drug trafficking had the same punishment, therefore, faced with an equal risk, the benefit was much greater if cocaine or hashish were trafficked instead of tobacco, hence many of these The bosses of these families made the jump to drugs at the beginning of the 1980s and inherited all those infrastructures, all that social support that came from smuggling, causing drug culture or the legalized activity of drug trafficking to perpetuate itself,” explains the journalist also author of ‘On Death Row’.
‘Operation Crab’
It was in the mid-1990s that the first major operation against drug traffickers took place. The ‘Operation Nécora’, led by Judge Baltazar Garzón. A premise of what would come later.
“This reaction of the State is promoted by a social reaction in Galicia led by mothers. When the drug begins to wreak havoc, in Galicia we know what is called the ‘lost generation’. A generation of young people born in the seventies, who begins to fall victim to the massive presence of drugs. These mothers react and say these are not the social benefactors that they were, “he says.
“They are criminals, and they confront them in a very brave way because at that time nobody confronted drug traffickers. This group of women, initially very small, begins to fight against them, the rest of society progressively joins them until the politicians, the authorities, have no choice but to pay attention to what society is demanding: that they stand up to them, and that is where Judge Garzón appears,” he says.
The ‘Nécora’ operation is carried out from Madrid. The tentacles and networks of drug trafficking reached all judicial and political spheres, so if they intervened it had to be from confidentiality, and from the capital.
With Judge Garzón’s ‘Operation Nécora’, a message was sent: “the State is beginning to monitor them, the State is going to react, then the drug traffickers also learn that lesson a bit and change their profile, today they are discreet, they are invisible, and they are almost anonymous. So the perception is that in Galicia drug trafficking is a thing of the past. The reality is that today, although invisible, drug traffickers are more powerful than ever and move more drugs than ever”.
First modification:
‘Fariña’ is how cocaine is known in Galician. Large port of entry to Spain located on the Atlantic, Galicia has historically been the scene of smuggling and drug trafficking, from cigarettes to cocaine. The book ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, recently translated into French by Le Cherche Midi, is a living x-ray of half a century of illegal trade in that society.
Galicia has 1,480 kilometers of coastline, divided into three regions: Rias Baixas, Costa da Morte and Rias Altas. Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Carretero traveled through it for several years to write ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, a book whose first edition in Spanish faced obstruction from the authorities and even attempted prosecution.
“To this day I do not know the reason why, in legal terms, the book was seized, that is, its sale, its publication, even its printing was prohibited. I think, if I am honest, it was due to a judicial error, but I do not I think it was because of the springs of power or a conspiracy theory that was hidden behind it. To this day we still wonder why it happened, because this is something that does not happen in Spain”, assures the guest of Escala in Paris.
Fishing and cigarette trafficking
Galicia was an extremely poor area, which would explain why at the end of the Spanish civil war, many fishing families began to dedicate themselves to cigarette trafficking, a very lucrative activity in which the traffickers, the authorities, the church participated, with no real presence of the Spanish state.
This situation lasted for several decades, so that “smuggling was something very beneficial for the population, tobacco gave employment, it gave wealth, so the smugglers were seen as social benefactors, as social leaders who had contacts at the highest political level. , policemen, and they were socially respected. So neither the politicians nor the authorities considered it necessary to intervene and dismantle a business that was well seen. And when the State realized it, it was already too late and there was a mafia network established in Galicia “.
In the 1980s, the rules and conditions for fighting trafficking changed, with Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union, being decisive.
Nacho Carretero considers that joining the EEC changed the legislation, the media and also the borders, since until then smugglers and traffickers could take refuge in Portugal or France by crossing the border.
The 80s, the jump to drug trafficking
“Before joining the European Union, smuggling and drug trafficking had the same punishment, therefore, faced with an equal risk, the benefit was much greater if cocaine or hashish were trafficked instead of tobacco, hence many of these The bosses of these families made the jump to drugs at the beginning of the 1980s and inherited all those infrastructures, all that social support that came from smuggling, causing drug culture or the legalized activity of drug trafficking to perpetuate itself,” explains the journalist also author of ‘On Death Row’.
‘Operation Crab’
It was in the mid-1990s that the first major operation against drug traffickers took place. The ‘Operation Nécora’, led by Judge Baltazar Garzón. A premise of what would come later.
“This reaction of the State is promoted by a social reaction in Galicia led by mothers. When the drug begins to wreak havoc, in Galicia we know what is called the ‘lost generation’. A generation of young people born in the seventies, who begins to fall victim to the massive presence of drugs. These mothers react and say these are not the social benefactors that they were, “he says.
“They are criminals, and they confront them in a very brave way because at that time nobody confronted drug traffickers. This group of women, initially very small, begins to fight against them, the rest of society progressively joins them until the politicians, the authorities, have no choice but to pay attention to what society is demanding: that they stand up to them, and that is where Judge Garzón appears,” he says.
The ‘Nécora’ operation is carried out from Madrid. The tentacles and networks of drug trafficking reached all judicial and political spheres, so if they intervened it had to be from confidentiality, and from the capital.
With Judge Garzón’s ‘Operation Nécora’, a message was sent: “the State is beginning to monitor them, the State is going to react, then the drug traffickers also learn that lesson a bit and change their profile, today they are discreet, they are invisible, and they are almost anonymous. So the perception is that in Galicia drug trafficking is a thing of the past. The reality is that today, although invisible, drug traffickers are more powerful than ever and move more drugs than ever”.
First modification:
‘Fariña’ is how cocaine is known in Galician. Large port of entry to Spain located on the Atlantic, Galicia has historically been the scene of smuggling and drug trafficking, from cigarettes to cocaine. The book ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, recently translated into French by Le Cherche Midi, is a living x-ray of half a century of illegal trade in that society.
Galicia has 1,480 kilometers of coastline, divided into three regions: Rias Baixas, Costa da Morte and Rias Altas. Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Carretero traveled through it for several years to write ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, a book whose first edition in Spanish faced obstruction from the authorities and even attempted prosecution.
“To this day I do not know the reason why, in legal terms, the book was seized, that is, its sale, its publication, even its printing was prohibited. I think, if I am honest, it was due to a judicial error, but I do not I think it was because of the springs of power or a conspiracy theory that was hidden behind it. To this day we still wonder why it happened, because this is something that does not happen in Spain”, assures the guest of Escala in Paris.
Fishing and cigarette trafficking
Galicia was an extremely poor area, which would explain why at the end of the Spanish civil war, many fishing families began to dedicate themselves to cigarette trafficking, a very lucrative activity in which the traffickers, the authorities, the church participated, with no real presence of the Spanish state.
This situation lasted for several decades, so that “smuggling was something very beneficial for the population, tobacco gave employment, it gave wealth, so the smugglers were seen as social benefactors, as social leaders who had contacts at the highest political level. , policemen, and they were socially respected. So neither the politicians nor the authorities considered it necessary to intervene and dismantle a business that was well seen. And when the State realized it, it was already too late and there was a mafia network established in Galicia “.
In the 1980s, the rules and conditions for fighting trafficking changed, with Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union, being decisive.
Nacho Carretero considers that joining the EEC changed the legislation, the media and also the borders, since until then smugglers and traffickers could take refuge in Portugal or France by crossing the border.
The 80s, the jump to drug trafficking
“Before joining the European Union, smuggling and drug trafficking had the same punishment, therefore, faced with an equal risk, the benefit was much greater if cocaine or hashish were trafficked instead of tobacco, hence many of these The bosses of these families made the jump to drugs at the beginning of the 1980s and inherited all those infrastructures, all that social support that came from smuggling, causing drug culture or the legalized activity of drug trafficking to perpetuate itself,” explains the journalist also author of ‘On Death Row’.
‘Operation Crab’
It was in the mid-1990s that the first major operation against drug traffickers took place. The ‘Operation Nécora’, led by Judge Baltazar Garzón. A premise of what would come later.
“This reaction of the State is promoted by a social reaction in Galicia led by mothers. When the drug begins to wreak havoc, in Galicia we know what is called the ‘lost generation’. A generation of young people born in the seventies, who begins to fall victim to the massive presence of drugs. These mothers react and say these are not the social benefactors that they were, “he says.
“They are criminals, and they confront them in a very brave way because at that time nobody confronted drug traffickers. This group of women, initially very small, begins to fight against them, the rest of society progressively joins them until the politicians, the authorities, have no choice but to pay attention to what society is demanding: that they stand up to them, and that is where Judge Garzón appears,” he says.
The ‘Nécora’ operation is carried out from Madrid. The tentacles and networks of drug trafficking reached all judicial and political spheres, so if they intervened it had to be from confidentiality, and from the capital.
With Judge Garzón’s ‘Operation Nécora’, a message was sent: “the State is beginning to monitor them, the State is going to react, then the drug traffickers also learn that lesson a bit and change their profile, today they are discreet, they are invisible, and they are almost anonymous. So the perception is that in Galicia drug trafficking is a thing of the past. The reality is that today, although invisible, drug traffickers are more powerful than ever and move more drugs than ever”.
First modification:
‘Fariña’ is how cocaine is known in Galician. Large port of entry to Spain located on the Atlantic, Galicia has historically been the scene of smuggling and drug trafficking, from cigarettes to cocaine. The book ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, recently translated into French by Le Cherche Midi, is a living x-ray of half a century of illegal trade in that society.
Galicia has 1,480 kilometers of coastline, divided into three regions: Rias Baixas, Costa da Morte and Rias Altas. Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Carretero traveled through it for several years to write ‘Fariña’, an investigation into cocaine trafficking in Galicia, a book whose first edition in Spanish faced obstruction from the authorities and even attempted prosecution.
“To this day I do not know the reason why, in legal terms, the book was seized, that is, its sale, its publication, even its printing was prohibited. I think, if I am honest, it was due to a judicial error, but I do not I think it was because of the springs of power or a conspiracy theory that was hidden behind it. To this day we still wonder why it happened, because this is something that does not happen in Spain”, assures the guest of Escala in Paris.
Fishing and cigarette trafficking
Galicia was an extremely poor area, which would explain why at the end of the Spanish civil war, many fishing families began to dedicate themselves to cigarette trafficking, a very lucrative activity in which the traffickers, the authorities, the church participated, with no real presence of the Spanish state.
This situation lasted for several decades, so that “smuggling was something very beneficial for the population, tobacco gave employment, it gave wealth, so the smugglers were seen as social benefactors, as social leaders who had contacts at the highest political level. , policemen, and they were socially respected. So neither the politicians nor the authorities considered it necessary to intervene and dismantle a business that was well seen. And when the State realized it, it was already too late and there was a mafia network established in Galicia “.
In the 1980s, the rules and conditions for fighting trafficking changed, with Spain’s entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), which later became the European Union, being decisive.
Nacho Carretero considers that joining the EEC changed the legislation, the media and also the borders, since until then smugglers and traffickers could take refuge in Portugal or France by crossing the border.
The 80s, the jump to drug trafficking
“Before joining the European Union, smuggling and drug trafficking had the same punishment, therefore, faced with an equal risk, the benefit was much greater if cocaine or hashish were trafficked instead of tobacco, hence many of these The bosses of these families made the jump to drugs at the beginning of the 1980s and inherited all those infrastructures, all that social support that came from smuggling, causing drug culture or the legalized activity of drug trafficking to perpetuate itself,” explains the journalist also author of ‘On Death Row’.
‘Operation Crab’
It was in the mid-1990s that the first major operation against drug traffickers took place. The ‘Operation Nécora’, led by Judge Baltazar Garzón. A premise of what would come later.
“This reaction of the State is promoted by a social reaction in Galicia led by mothers. When the drug begins to wreak havoc, in Galicia we know what is called the ‘lost generation’. A generation of young people born in the seventies, who begins to fall victim to the massive presence of drugs. These mothers react and say these are not the social benefactors that they were, “he says.
“They are criminals, and they confront them in a very brave way because at that time nobody confronted drug traffickers. This group of women, initially very small, begins to fight against them, the rest of society progressively joins them until the politicians, the authorities, have no choice but to pay attention to what society is demanding: that they stand up to them, and that is where Judge Garzón appears,” he says.
The ‘Nécora’ operation is carried out from Madrid. The tentacles and networks of drug trafficking reached all judicial and political spheres, so if they intervened it had to be from confidentiality, and from the capital.
With Judge Garzón’s ‘Operation Nécora’, a message was sent: “the State is beginning to monitor them, the State is going to react, then the drug traffickers also learn that lesson a bit and change their profile, today they are discreet, they are invisible, and they are almost anonymous. So the perception is that in Galicia drug trafficking is a thing of the past. The reality is that today, although invisible, drug traffickers are more powerful than ever and move more drugs than ever”.