Sweet shop in Spain tourism hotspot sold cocaine 'in full reach of children'

A sweet shop owner has been arrested for selling drugs from his store in Barcelona. Police officers from Mossos d'Esquadra stormed the shop on Calle del Telegraf last Thursday afternoon at 4.45pm local time.

They uncovered 10 bundles of cocaine and €2,250 (£1979) in cash in the swoop. The 52-year-old suspect has no previous criminal conviction and was taken in for questioning. Officers found small packages of cocaine on shelves that were within the reach of children who visit the shop.

The store is located near three schools and is popular with the kids, who normally flock there after lessons.

This is the second major arrest in the area in recent days, as police step up their efforts to crack down on crime.

Officers arrested a 37-year-old thief, accused of robbing 16 homes in the Carmel neighbourhood.

Barcelona's port is a major transit hub for drug smugglers in Europe. It ranked fifth for drug smuggling in 2024, according to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Top of the list came the port of Algeciras, with 35 tonnes handled in one year. Next come the ports of Antwerp, Belgium, with 21 tonnes; Sines, Portugal, with 18 tonnes; and Southampton, United Kingdom, with 12 tonnes.

Barcelona closes out the list of the top five with 10 tonnes.

Last December, customs and police officers seized a shipment of 1,120 kilograms of cocaine.

The drug was hidden inside a maritime container that had arrived in Barcelona from Mexico and whose end-use was Israel.

There were 16 packages in total, each containing approximately 60 cocaine pills, with the total amount seized being 1,120 kilos.