Irish woman is one of 4 arrested for running fake cannabis clubs in Benidorm

Police in the Costa Blanca holiday hotspot seized 15 kilos of marijuana in raids at two establishments

An Irish woman and American man are among four people arrested for allegedly operating illegal cannabis clubs in Benidorm.

Local Police raided two 'shops' in the resort's Rincón de Loix area from which drugs were being sold under the pretense of being official marijuana clubs. They seized 15 kilos of cannabis in bags and jars ready for sale.

Neither of the establishments possessed any of the legal requirements to operate as cannabis clubs, "such as only letting in people who are members or having a register of the people who enter, among others," said police in a statement.

In addition, one of them was operating without any kind of licence at all.

The raids were carried out as part of a campaign of inspections of these type of establishments over a period of 20 days.

The first was carried out on May 5 during which 11.5 kilos of marijuana was confiscated. A second raid took place on May 24, and police bagged up 3.5 kilos of the drug.

The detainees, including two Colombian men, have been charged with offences against public health for trafficking in narcotic substances.

Since 2015, legislation in Spain has established that no type of narcotic substance can be legally consumed in cannabis clubs, and it can only be sold to members, not the general public, added police sources.

Images: Benidorm Local Police