Alvaro Carvajal Madrid

Madrid

Updated Wednesday, February 21, 2024-12:24

  • Interior The leaders of the anti-drug group sue to dismantle the "false evidence" that the Interior used to close it

  • Narco Lack of structural means against drug trafficking even in the 'golden era' of OCON: "I bought a drone myself that I now have at home"

The PP has cornered the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Maslaska, and is pushing him to resign for "dignity", "honor" and "respect" in an offensive in Congress and the

Senate

for

the

murder of two civil guards in Barbate ( Cádiz) at the hands of drug trafficking clans. He accuses him of being "responsible for the abandonment and lack of resources" of the security forces that has "caused" those deaths when the agents were run over by a

large

drug boat

when they were confronting it with a zodiac. And for this reason he has besieged him with oral questions in Congress and carried out his

disapproval

of him in the Senate thanks to his absolute majority.

The double murder is an episode that, as the popular

have denounced

, has exposed the lack of human and material resources of the Civil Guard and the National Police in the south of the province of Cádiz and that has also been aggravated, due to "unjustified" decisions by the Ministry of the Interior such as the controversial dismantling of the OCON-Sur special unit to combat drug trafficking in

Campo de Gibraltar

.

This is where the PP has focused all the pressure and has demanded answers. "It is unacceptable that he continues without clarifying why he dissolved the OCON. If it is due to pressure from Morocco, if it is to save money or, worse, if it is to manipulate evidence against them," denounced deputy

Ana Vázquez

.

Marlaska, who has revolted against the PP, has maintained that the dissolution of OCON-Sur "did not affect" the fight against drug trafficking and has boasted that in 2023 there were more arrests, more operations and more seizures of drugs and equipment than in the previous year. "You continue telling lies, diverting attention and using a tragedy for partisan purposes," replied the minister, who in his few explanations has indicated that the "resources" of OCON "are now integrated" into the Judicial Police of the Command of area.

The PP has demanded from the minister to know if the dismantling of OCON-Sur (an elite group of the Civil Guard) could have been done with "false evidence", as EL MUNDO reports today. Deputy

Elías Bendodo

has demanded to clarify the content of the reports that came to him from Home Affairs and whether he relied on falsehoods to "dismantle" that group.

The minister, who has not gone into the substance of the matter, has only asked for respect for "the judicial resolutions and investigations that are underway." "Don't jump to conclusions ahead of time," he concluded.

The PP's pressure on the head of the Interior has been crowned with his disapproval by the Senate, where the popular party has an absolute majority. The disapproval has no practical effects on Marlaska's continuity in office, since the dismissal of ministers is an exclusive prerogative of the President of the Government, but it does have the symbolic value of being a political censure and a lack of trust.

Next week a second disapproval also presented by the PP will be debated, this time in Congress, where it will be necessary to see if all the PSOE partners save the Minister of the Interior from burning. Already in February 2023 there were groups that supported his disapproval for the management of the Melilla tragedy.

While in Congress, Marlaska has had to face three questions from the PP and one from Vox. The

popular

spokesman ,

Miguel Tellado

, has blamed him for the lack of resources and the "abandonment" of the agents. "What has to happen for you to assume your responsibilities and resign?" He asked him. "If you have any honor left, resign. If you have any dignity left, resign. If you have any respect left, resign. You are a bad minister who should not be sitting there."

Along the same lines, Bendodo has pushed him to leave office. "Take the last open door before they throw you out the window. They're going to do it, it's a matter of time." For his part, Vázquez has stressed that Marlaska is a "real liar" and has described his attitude as "immoral."

Marlaska counterattacks with Marcial Dorado

Faced with the siege of the PP, Marlaska has defended himself against the attack. On the political level, she has once again brought up the photo of Feijóo with

Marcial Dorado

. "The difference between some who traveled by boat with drug traffickers, this same drug trafficker was put in prison by this Minister of the Interior where all drug traffickers should be and where they will continue to be," he said, alluding to his time as a judge. He had previously accused the PP of "using" the two murders for partisan purposes.

At the police level, he has maintained that "the only one that has dismantled something has been the PP", while the Government has invested in "recovering staff" and to increase staff in Campo de Gibraltar, where he says there are 1,300 officers. more and a crime rate below average.

In addition to the PP,

Vox

has taken advantage of the Government control session to put pressure on the Minister of the Interior and demand that he assume responsibilities because the double murder has been "facilitated by the negligence" of his department.

The parliamentary spokesperson,

Pepa Millán

, reminded Marlaska that the Andalusian Anti-Drug Prosecutor's Office has been the first to warn of the effects of the dismantling of OCON and has asked "why such a rush" and if it has to do with the relationship "so servile" of Pedro Sánchez with Morocco, a "hashish-producing" country. "With harsh resources and laws there would be no coffins to speak of," she recriminated.