According to the 2025 European Drug Report, marijuana is the most consumed illegal substance in the European Union, with Catalonia established as the epicenter of its production and distribution. This proliferation has led to the arrival of international drug trafficking organizations, mainly from Albania and Moldova, and a rise in violence between competing clans, including illegal possession of military-grade weapons.
“"We import people dedicated to crime, while at the same time we export marijuana to other countries."
Criminal lawyer Emilio Zegrí points out that sentences for 'soft drug' trafficking in Spain (between one and three years) are significantly lower than in most neighboring countries, such as France (up to 30 years with aggravating factors) or the United Kingdom (up to 14 years). This “mild penal metric” often allows defendants to receive sentences under two years, avoiding actual imprisonment if they are first-time offenders.
This leniency extends to related crimes. Electricity fraud, crucial for indoor cultivation, is punishable by a fine in Spain, whereas Germany imposes up to five years in prison. Similarly, criminal squatting (usurpation of empty properties) is a minor offense in Spain, while France and Italy penalize it with up to three or four years in prison, respectively.
Cristina Vallejo, Dean of the Barcelona Bar Association, emphasizes the “urgent” need for legislative reform regarding criminal squatting. She notes that current Spanish law complicates the swift application of precautionary eviction measures, unlike systems in the Netherlands or Italy, which allow police to recover the property quickly after a complaint.
