Seven years after the historic ecologist Andalusian Juan Clavero was arrested for drug trafficking when the Civil Guard found him 47 grams of cocaine in his vanthe case finally lands in the Cádiz Court. But in the dock sits not the activist, but the four accused of putting drugs in his car to set him up and destroy your reputation. Clavero, leader of Ecologists in Actionled the demands for the closure of public roads in the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
The trap was set on Sunday, August 26, 2017, when Ecologists in Action He called for a protest march in defense of the opening of public roads and livestock trails that cross private farms in the aforementioned natural park. A certain person showed up at the meeting Manuel Wardenwho said he belonged to the Ecologistas de Jerez group, but who nobody knew.
After the protest, he asked Clavero if he could do him the favor of taking him in his vehicle to an inn in the town of El Bosque and, before saying goodbye, he hid in the car a bag with 47 grams of cocaine and four of hashishenough amount for Clavero to be accused of drug trafficking.
A anonymous call He later alerted the Civil Guard that the environmentalist’s van was going down a rural road with drugs inside. Some agents intercepted the vehicle and Clavero spent the night in the cells.
Suspicions were directed at some responsible for the Company Breña del Agua Investments SL (of Belgian businessman Marnix Galle), the largest private owner of farms in the natural park. Ecologists in Action accuses society of closing public roads and livestock trails.
Weeks later, after an investigation by the Civil Guard, the Ubrique court agreed to the dismissal of the proceedings initiated against the environmental leader and charged José as the alleged perpetrators of the plot Miguel Herreracompany representative, to Juan Luis Pérez Ramírez and Oscar Gonzalezforemen of the farms owned by it, since Manuel Alcaidethe man who allegedly placed the drugs in Clavero’s car. In addition, Óscar González is accused of calling the Civil Guard to tip off.
“The drugs were mine, I had a party”
At the trial, the defendants have only answered their defenses: «The drug was mine and for my consumptionfor a party he had afterwards,” said Alcaide, who has denied that he left the drugs in the car on purpose, but rather that he got rid of it because he heard that the Civil Guard could appear at any moment.
Clavero, for his part, has recounted his version of the events: «I had not even left Alcaide 200 meters, whom I had never seen in my life until that day, when the civil guards stopped me. They told me ‘get out of the car’ and they started searching. They took a bag out from under the seat. I asked what that was and one of them He told me it was cocaine without even opening the bag.», he stated, according to the statement collected by Cadiz Newspaper.
Clavero has shown himself to be “a little fed up”, since the trial is being held on the third attempt, after two previous suspensions due to “delaying maneuvers by the accused”. And he has stated: «I hope that no mafia member ever thinks of making a so dirty play».
For her part, the spokesperson for Ecologists in Action in Andalusia, Lola Yllescas, has denounced that everything was due to “a crude trap” to get Clavero out of the way and cancel his participation in that campaign.
Requests from the Prosecutor’s Office
The Prosecutor’s Office requests that the four accused, as alleged perpetrators of a crime of false reporting, receive sentences of a year and a half in prison, a fine of 12,000 euros and joint compensation of 20,000 euros to Clavero for moral damages, with subsidiary civil liability to the company Breña del Agua Investments SL
Yllescas has commented to Europa Press his “disillusionment” with the decision of the Eighth Section court, which thus excludes the crimes of provocation and conspiracy for illegal detention and membership in a criminal group that requested the accusation.
The Andalusian spokesperson for Ecologists in Action considers that the evidence presented was “conclusive” and hoped that the defendants would be given the sentences their organization requested, that is, seven years in prison and a fine of 21,600 euros for each defendant, in addition to compensation of 50,000 euros to Clavero and 20,000 euros to Ecologistas en Acción for moral damages.
