Barcelona City Council is backing tougher penalties for drug trafficking, as local leaders say the city needs stronger legal tools to deal with serious crime. The debate comes as the council renews its cooperation agreement with the Guardia Urbana and the Mossos d'Esquadra.
Deputy Mayor for Security Albert Batlle said Barcelona needs a stronger legal framework and called for a “profound review” of the penal rules on public health offences, especially drug trafficking. He linked the issue to violent retaliation, including daytime shootings, and said recent serious crimes “do not correspond to the known criminal activity until now”.
Junts also pushed for more police resources, with its leader Jordi Martí calling it “the most serious security crisis in this mandate”. The council approved that proposal unanimously. Batlle also said he is concerned about the growing presence of knives and firearms in Barcelona’s public spaces.
The city’s position matches wider moves in Catalonia. In early April, Catalan Interior Minister Núria Parlon called for tougher penalties for drug cultivation and trafficking, with the aim of bringing Spanish law closer to European standards, where sentences are often harsher for these offences.
Drug-related crime is also tied to organised groups, turf wars and indoor marijuana growing, which often involves electricity fraud. The Spanish Congress recently approved a law against repeat offending that includes a specific subtype for electricity fraud, designed to raise penalties in cases linked to indoor cannabis cultivation. Endesa said in 2024 that marijuana plantations account for 37% of all defrauded electricity in Catalonia, with an estimated annual loss of €2 billion.
The renewed agreement between the council and the police updates a pact from September 2005, after the deployment of the Mossos d'Esquadra in the city. Under the new deal, the Guardia Urbana will have more involvement, including taking complaints at citizen service offices, more investigative powers for certain crimes, and greater support for victims of gender-based violence. Very serious crimes, or those needing complex investigations, will still stay with the Mossos.
All political parties except PP and Vox voted in favour of the change, with PP and Vox reserving their vote for the plenary session on 29 May. Final approval is due at that session. For more Barcelona coverage, see our community and sport pages, and read the original report from La Vanguardia.
