enxaneta

Inside a Catalan 'castell'

July 5, 2016 03:12 PM | ACN / Virginia Scherer

A common sight at Catalan festivals, ‘castells’ can be up to 10 human storeys high, with a small child usually being placed on the top. Teams compete to create the most elaborate construction, in a tradition which is believed to date back to the 18th Century. It is one of Catalonia's more unusual spectacles and since being declared a UNESCO element of Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2010, interest in ‘castells’ has grown beyond Catalonia. Many ‘castellers’ groups have performed abroad in cities such as Shanghai, New York, Montreal, London and many others and new groups are even emerging outside of Catalonia. While most observe this tradition from the outside, we got up close to take a peek at the inside.

35 members of international heroin trafficking network arrested near Barcelona

November 19, 2015 07:37 PM | ACN / Sara Prim

The so-called 'Operation Enxaneta' is considered the most important in the fight against drug trafficking carried out in Spain in the last ten years. 35 people have been arrested, 25 of whom have already been sent to prison. 83 kilos of highly pure heroin, 1 kilo of cocaine and 360 grams of marihuana have been intercepted. Several bank accounts have been frozen, and patrimonial assets and more than 1 million euros in cash have been confiscated. The investigation, which started in April, has brought to light heroin's routes and sales channels, starting in Pakistan and finishing in Barcelona and Madrid, amongst other places. 'Operation Enxaneta' was carried out by the Catalan police in collaboration with the Spanish Guardia Civil, the Spanish Police and the Ukrainian Security Service, which intercepted a 71-kilo heroin shipment bound for Catalonia.