In recent years, illegal electricity connections have skyrocketed in Spain. The main reason for this cause is indoor marijuana plantations, which have proliferated especially in Andalusia and Catalonia. Electricity consumption triples and there are meters that have gone up in flames when registering an increase in demand for electricity due to illegal connections. Endesa is one of the most affected companies. When its workers go to unhook, they suffer assaults, for which they are forced to carry out their work hiding their identity with ski masks and, on many occasions, accompanied by the police.
In ex officio inspections, Endesa workers request help from the agents so that they can accompany them to carry out their work, but if the incident corresponds to an illegal coupling of a marijuana plantation, they notify the Police to carry out the investigation. The electricity consumption of these plantations corresponds to 80 homes.
Electrical fraud entails security problems, both for the people who manipulate the facilities to make the illegal connection, who may suffer electrocution, and for the facilities themselves, which may overheat. This criminal act also causes an increase in the electricity bill of the neighbors, since the energy it consumes is being taken illegally from the network of other customers who do have a current contract with the electricity company.
Knife threats against Endesa technicians
In statements to the ABC newspaper, an Endesa spokesperson explained that when the workers go to reverse the down payments, they are attacked and threatened. They claim that their wallets and tools have been stolen and they have even been intimidated with knives.
The technicians have found garbage in the trenches that are opened to measure the wiring, they even explain that they have thrown objects from the windows to prevent electrical installations from being repaired. Upon reaching the review, they have seen transformers with other people’s padlocks and some with holes caused by shots.
