The people in charge of the cannabis club "El Tabaquito Terapéutico", which operated on Tajaraste street in Arrecife, have been sentenced to three years in prison for drug trafficking and illicit association. The sentence, dictated by the Second Section of the Provincial Court, also imposes on the defendants the payment of a fine of 2,592 euros and another of 2,190 euros each, as well as the payment of costs.
The trial was held last July, and adds to others that have taken place in recent years against cannabis clubs. In this case, the Prosecutor's Office requested 7 years in prison for Luis Fernando R.M. and Octavio Alexander S.R., although the Chamber has decided to impose the minimum penalty for each of the two crimes.
The ruling also orders the dissolution of the "illicit association", the destruction of the seized drug and the confiscation of the money seized by the agents.
“They are condemning me as if I had killed or sold cocaine, and that cannot be”, questioned one of the defendants at the end of the trial. And although neither of them wanted to testify during the hearing, refusing to answer questions, both made use of the last turn to speak to defend the activity they carried out in that club, which had 430 registered members.
"None of the association's rules contemplated that the consumption of cannabis should be shared among the members inside or outside the premises; nor did it contemplate the way in which the members could obtain cannabis, nor a maximum withdrawal limit", the sentence concludes.
Thus, it considers it proven that the accused, "with total disregard for the health of others, used the association for the purpose of selling and distributing marijuana and hashish to third parties in exchange for money."