The Civil Guard believes that the businessman and his associates pretended that they burned the shipment in poor condition but actually got rid of the shells.
Four Mallorcans – three men and a woman – from a company on the island dedicated to importing tons of almonds have been arrested by the Civil Guard of Palma, accused of crimes against public health. According to the investigation, they tried to sell a large consignment of those nuts even though they knew that the consignment contained toxic substances and was unfit for consumption.
As told to Ultima Hora by judicial sources, the defendants – whose identities have not been provided – will pass in the next few hours at the disposal of the duty judge in Palma. The forecast is that he will be released with charges pending trial. The matter came to light this week when a Mallorca-based company bought a consignment of 25 tonnes of almonds from Australia to sell on the island.
The batch arrived by ship at the port of Alicante, but there the cargo was subjected to a random analysis which revealed that the nuts contained toxins that could be harmful to health, causing it to be stopped and sealed. I went. The company owner was informed of what had happened and health and customs officials informed him that he would have to destroy the shipment within a certain period of time to avoid subsequent public health problems. The sources advised that the value of the goods was more than 40,000 euros, to which the affected businessman had to add the cost of destroying 25 tons of almonds.
After being informed of all the administrative procedures that he had to complete, the merchant undertook to destroy the shipment at the Tirme incinerator on the island, and finally the almond shipment from Australia arrived at the port of Palma. There was a time limit to prove the destruction of the batch, but according to investigators the Son Reus plant caused 25 tons of almonds from Australia to be sealed in the port of Alicante, but the fruit without the shell, which was used for other shipments and remains. can proceed.
It was then that all alarms went off and the Seprona (Nature Conservation Service) of the Civil Guard began an investigation to clarify where the almonds containing the toxins were. Sources advised that if the sealed food was in slightly deteriorated condition it was likely to become feed, but in the case of the Australian almonds the toxin was widespread and officials made it clear that it could only be destroyed.
The police’s suspicions were confirmed when the delivery notes were reviewed with the weight of the material being taken to the incinerator not exactly matching with the other declared. Thus, a possible case against public health began to be investigated and a court in Palma was informed of Benamerita’s criminal proceedings. Monitoring of the consignment found that it had returned to the peninsula on a ship, and the owner of a Majorcan company is believed to have intended to bring it back to the market, to sell it to the highest bidder in the market. It was then that the Seprona agents decided to act and proceeded to arrest the three men and women who were deprived of their liberty last night at the Palmesan Command Headquarters on Manuel Azana Street.
It appears that the authorities searched some of the company’s facilities in Binislem, from where they took documentation regarding an intercepted shipment of nuts that was allegedly burned in Palma. They have also taken statements from four arrested men, who are of Spanish nationality and live on the island, although the content of their version has not been disclosed. One of them is the owner of the company that has imported the goods and the other is the employee or partner. In addition to Seprona, the Civil Guard, Health and Customs of Palma and Alicante have participated in the procedures carried out this week.
