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Police in Spain have committed to donating 6,000kg of Colombian coffee to a food bank in Murcia after it was seized in a drug-smuggling operation for having concealed marijuana inside.
In the coming weeks, the Banco de Alimentos del Segura food bank in Murcia city will distribute the coffee, which the National Police had seized from an international organisation and that served as a hiding place for 137kg of marijuana.
As well as to local families in need, a portion of the coffee will be sent to Ukraine. According to the president of the Banco de Alimentos del Segura, José García-Galbis Marín, “For the soldiers who are fighting against the Russian invaders, it could be a very valuable product.”
“This coffee is great for us,” remarked the president of the Banco de Alimentos del Segura. “It is a premium product. We normally deliver basic foodstuffs and coffee, because of its price, does not fall into that category.”
The seizure of this stash has so far left six people in custody, but the investigation, carried out in collaboration with British police, remains open.
The cannabis, which was vacuum-packed, would have fetched a market price of around 2 million euros, according to the senior police chief Ignacio del Olmo.
“In order not to lose the coffee, which is of excellent quality, we thought that the best option was to use the Food Bank so that it could reach those who need it most,” remarked Del Olmo.
Recent data has shown that households in Spain now pay an average of 13% more for their regular food shop than they did a year ago and many families have been hard hit, forcing them to turn increasingly to food banks.
