Drug Bust
MEMBERS of the National Police have brought down an alleged drug trafficking ring in Velez-Malaga.
Officers arrested three men and one woman and raided three houses allegedly used to prepare and sell cocaine in the town.
Investigations began after various reports pointed to a group of houses wre being used to sell Drugs. Police claim they were able to identify the alleged dealers as being the residents of the houses, before carrying out a series of raids.
The investigation led to the four arrests and police also allegedly seized 70 grams of cocaine and five sets of precision scales.
Elche Apartment Fire.
AN entire apartment block was evacuated after a fire took hold in a flat on the fifth floor yesterday afternoon.
Emergency services discovered the body of an elderly man when they entered the blazing building in Elche but couldn’t save his life.
Another elderly person was found and protected by firefighters inside the building.
All the neighbors were safely evacuated by Local Police from the property.
Roads were closed while firefighters, with two fire engines and a hydraulic platform, worked to extinguish the flames.
National Police officers are investigating the cause of the fire.
Rental Agreements
A new government decree regulating rentals in Spain went into effect this morning, five days after being approved by the Cabinet. The measures introduced by the government seek to improve protection for tenants.
The decree extends the duration of the rental contract from three to five years (or seven if the landlord is a company), and prevents annual rent rises of more than the consumer price index.
The main changes will only apply to new lease agreements signed after today.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said last week that the decree is “an action plan for an unacceptable situation,” adding that the measures will be particularly helpful for young people.
Tourist Spending
Foreign tourist spending in Murcia was up in January by 50% over the same month last year, with a third of all visitors to the Costa Calida arriving from the UK.
Almost 62 million euros was spent, meaning the area saw the largest increase of all the 17 Spanish regions.
This spectacular increase comes despite visitor numbers to the Murcia area having risen by just 5%.