Livestock farm owner detained for animal abuse and possession of a machine gun

The Guardia Civil recently detained the owner of a livestock farm on Gran Canaria for alleged animal abuse, after they located several corpses of animals on his farm, goats thrown into a ditch, as well as several dogs suffering with open wounds. The detainee, who has a prior police record for similar crimes, was also in possession of an old machine gun, of some historical value, and so he has also been accused of illegal possession of weapons.

The arrest took place on June 26 in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and was carried out by the Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service, Seprona, working out of the Vecindario Guardia Civil and the Guardia Civil Command of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Seprona agents had already made several inspections to the farm since the end of last year, finding  numerous irregularities with the livestock which in their view constituted criminal charges, denouncing the owner of the farm as alleged perpetrator of a crime of animal abuse.

To verify that this person had improved or eradicated these irregularities, the Seprona Patrol agents at the end of last month carried out a new inspection, finding the situation to still be very similar to the previous times. upon closer examination agents found a ditch on the farm with several animals corpses (goats) as well as mixed breed dogs with various open wounds, for which the owner of the farm was unable to present any veterinary certificates or documentation.

Continuing with the inspection of the farm,  agents found hidden behind a few pallets a Spanish made Star RU-35 submachine gun  – an obsolete weapon made more than 80 years ago, used during the Spain’s bloody civil war, and for a time carried by the Guardia Civil – without the owner of the farm being able to justify his legal possession of the weapon.

Therefore, the man was detained for the crimes of animal abuse and the illegal possession of firearms, and has been placed at the disposal of the first Court of Maspalomas, the weapon was confiscated, and placed at the disposal of the Court of Weapons Intervention of the Guardia Civil in Vecindario.