Barcelona police officers have been acquitted of planting drugs on a port worker after a court declared key wiretap evidence invalid.

Two Mossos d’Esquadra agents faced over 18 years in prison for allegedly framing a dockworker in 2016, but the Barcelona Audiencia has dismissed all charges.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Consequently, the ruling highlights significant procedural issues within the investigation.

Barcelona Police Acquitted After Evidence Collapses

The case centred on events in June 2016, when Carlos L. was arrested after nearly a kilo of cocaine, hashish, and weapons were found in his car. He consistently claimed he was the victim of a setup. The investigation later turned towards two officers, Francesc A. and Xavier G., who were accused of orchestrating the plot.

However, the court found the judicial authorisation for wiretaps and audio surveillance in a police station and a private vehicle was “prospective and not based on solid evidence.” Therefore, all evidence obtained from these measures was declared null and void. This legal technicality proved fatal to the prosecution’s case.

Furthermore, the situation was compounded by the sudden memory loss of two key witnesses during the trial. Their testimony became unusable, leaving the court with insufficient proof. The victim’s suspicions, while strong, were not backed by direct evidence of who planted the drugs.

The court also criticised the prolonged anonymity granted to police informants used in the investigation. This, the magistrates argued, deprived the defendants of their right to a proper defence throughout the proceedings. The complex case, as reported by El País via recent court coverage, ultimately unraveled on procedural grounds.

This acquittal follows a separate but notable legal development in the city, where a Barcelona court recently denied a police amnesty in a different landmark ruling. Meanwhile, the original case against the dockworker was archived in 2019, with authorities confirming he had no connection to the drugs or weapons.

Join our WhatsApp broadcast channel for instant news updates!

Source: Read original article