Barcelona launches 'Plan Druida' offensive against rising drug trade and consumption

Barcelona is launching an ambitious new anti-drug strategy, Plan Druida, to combat rising drug-related incidents. The city recorded 3,500 calls to the emergency services regarding drugs in the first half of the year, a significant increase from the previous year. This surge highlights a pervasive problem encompassing drug cultivation, laboratory production, easy accessibility, and consumption in cannabis clubs.

The strategy acknowledges that a purely police-led response is insufficient. It adopts a "transversal" approach, integrating efforts across multiple sectors. Key areas of focus include intensifying crackdowns on street-level dealing and public consumption. The plan also targets administrative actions against establishments suspected of facilitating drug sales or consumption, a method favored by other major European cities for its long-term impact.

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Patrols know that drugs are a priority and that any incident related to narcotics must be given more attention and all information generated by the action must be elevated.

Plan Druida's five pillars are: targeting sales points, administrative enforcement against businesses, road safety, healthcare assistance, and raising awareness about the consequences of drug use. A specific focus will be placed on cannabis clubs, with officials vowing to "continue scrutinizing an activity that should not have a place in our city." Approximately 200 such clubs currently operate in Barcelona.

City officials, including the third deputy mayor for Security, Albert Batlle, and the chief superintendent of the Guardia Urbana, Pedro Velázquez, presented the plan. They emphasized that while many actions are already underway, the plan consolidates them under a unified organizational structure. Patrol officers are being instructed to prioritize drug-related incidents and elevate all gathered information.

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We will continue to scrutinize an activity that should not have a place in our city.