In the industrial areas of many towns or cities, the constant buzzing of high pressure lamps illuminates hundreds of marijuana plants that grow to the rhythm of stolen electricity. It is a scenario that is repeated daily throughout Spain, where illegal cannabis cultivation and electric fraud They have woven a network of silent crime. Faced with this threat, Endesa has taken another step.
Root cut. Endesa and the General Police Station of the National Police have signed a collaboration protocol to strengthen the fight against crimes that affect the electricity supply. From the massive electricity fraud to the theft of material, sabotages and even cyberators, as collects the press release.
A more joint action. The protocol foresees, among other measures, joint training, information exchange, analytical reports, technical field advice. In addition, it contemplates the active participation of the Judicial Police in technical actions of Endesa and addresses associated crimes such as the manipulation of measuring equipment, the theft of personal data or scams to consumers by cybercriminals.
A problem that does not stop growing. According to the European drug report 2025, Spain concentrate 73% Of all the seizures of marijuana in the EU, many of them in plantations Indoor connected fraudulently to the network. Only in the last year, the Endesa networks subsidiary, e-distribution, disconnected 2,214 illegal hooks related to crops, with a consumption equivalent to 70,000 homes.
The data is replicated in different areas of the country. In Granada, like has detailed ABC Granada, between January and April of this year, Endesa has detected 246 illegal plantations, at the rate of two a day. In Córdoba, in the same period, 19 files have been opened, which is equivalent to one per week, According to the Córdoba Diario. In both cases, the excessive consumption – quoted to the up to 80 homes by plantation – saturates the network and causes collateral damage.
The highest invoice. The impact goes far beyond the economic. These illegal connections cause constant overloads, with serious safety consequences. Last summer, 24 fires were recorded in the distribution network in Andalusia, five of them in Granada and four in Córdoba, directly linked to marijuana plantations, According to the Córdoba Diario.
Technology at the service of prevention. To deal with this challenge, Endesa has opted for prevention. For years, predictive models based on artificial intelligence and Big Data have applied to detect suspicious patterns. Now, it has also begun to display smart sensors in its networks, capable of anticipating overloads before they occur.
A battle without rest. Electric fraud linked to illegal marijuana culture not only challenges electricity, but also the coexistence model in many areas of the country. The answer is already underway, but the challenge – technical, police and social – has just begun.
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