Two kilometres down the road from Pedreguer (Alicante) the villa belonged to a drug dealer known as Franky it was transferred to the Fund for Assets Seized for Illicit Drug Trafficking of the National Drug Plan up to seven social organisations have used part of its facilities as offices and for occasional activities This usage is deemed insufficient by the town council and the associations “The town hall went into debt but it was worth it,” says the town mayor they are looking for solutions: either El Campell strengthens its role as a stage for more anti-drug projects or it will have to adjust its social function if it does not want to end up in a public auction Esther Escrivá, coordinator of the AMADEM Mental Health Association, explains to Maldita.es that they set up their office on the first floor of El Campell in 2008 It is the only property from the Fund for Assets Seized for Illicit Drug Trafficking in Spain that changed hands for a social use rather than being sold or auctioned a 400-square-metre villa valued in three million euros From crime to community: the social reuse of confiscated assets in Italy, Spain and Romania is a cross-border investigation by Lavialibera (Italy), Scena9 (Romania) y Maldita.es (Spain) that explores the social reuse in these three countries highlighting its impact Hover over the arrows to navigate through the photo gallery drug trafficker Francisco Javier Martínez Sanmillán enjoyed using the property with his family for brief stays there was a detention order for him to serve a sentence for two crimes against public health The Justice system indicates that Franky —known for changing his fingerprints from his hands to his feet— had not worked or received legal income since 1994 instead spending that time “managing the profits from his previous drug trafficking activities,” with which he purchased the El Campell villa in Pedreguer A local resident who was granted anonymity explained to Maldita.es that Franky wanted to build a “traditional house,” stone made and spent “three or four years” building it claims that Franky only spent short periods at the villa and rarely went downtown: “He came here and said he was a pilot; the bricklayer living in front of the mansion joked every time a plane passed not all corners of the villa have been used in its new life as a social space In one room on the ground floor of the mansion there is a window that does not lead to the outside it reveals a room covered in stone and wood that extends down to the basement It has small windows that have to be opened remotely and a large door that leads outside but has no access from the room Neighbours call it “the bunker,” and it contains a large round table surrounded by armchairs It remains as Franky left it in 2006 when he was arrested Another notable room in El Campell is located on the rooftop there is a foyer with several small doors leading to a sloped area that requires crawling through brick passageways “as if they could hide here,” explains Escrivá adding that they believe this secluded place may have been used to hide drugs though she notes that nothing has ever been found According to the PNSD, since 2003, three properties have not been auctioned and have been managed for other purposes. Besides El Campell, there is the Pazo Baión in Vilanova de Arousa (Galicia) which was rented to several wineries while the judicial situation of its owner the property was auctioned in 2008 to a winery promising to hire people with drug dependencies undergoing reintegration The third is a property in the Galician town of Vilagarcía de Arousa explains the government delegate for the PNSD was handed over to the town hall through an appraisal using a 1997 regulation the Pedreguer Town Hall requested the transfer of the villa to the Valencian regional Government The court overseeing the case approved the “provisional” transfer for the creation of a centre for people with disabilities and mental health issues AMADEM moved into El Campell and has remained there ever since the land came under the jurisdiction of the Fund the town council signed an agreement with the National Drug Plan to cede El Campell for 15 years renewable every five years for a total of fifty years Residents of Pedreguer praise AMADEM for its social work and community support. For example, they recall the charity calçotada (a typical catalan onion barbecue) held annually at the villa for the past ten years which has gathered up to 550 people in the former drug dealer's mansion Its coordinator appreciates the reception the event receives year after year but regrets the limited use of the villa: “Initially and gradually we asked for facilities from the Dénia Town Hall (the largest town in the area) because more people were coming; we have been growing and people couldn’t reach us,” explains Escrivá who joined the council five years after the estate was seized which he describes as “arduous”: “We had and still have to justify its social use.” The aforementioned law states that these activities must be linked to the prevention of substance abuse at least seven organisations have used El Campell but AMADEM has been there from the beginning They started by addressing the most severe mental disorders they incorporated individuals suffering from phobias who often coexist with substance addiction member of the association’s board and whose husband is also a user of AMADEM’s services: “He loves coming [to El Campell]; for him and the other users we could do more activities here because there is space but we don’t have the budget for an adapted vehicle or a dedicated driver.” Although AMADEM has its office in Franky’s former estate El Campell has been the administrative headquarters of the UPCCA the Community Prevention Unit for Addictive Behaviours in the Marina Alta area explains that although they are “on paper” there the UPCCA services are decentralised: “We do not hold workshops in the property because the geographical dispersion is large and communications are poor; these are small mountain towns.” This body is responsible for notifying the town hall and the PNSD annually about the property’s use Escrivá explains that the orchard on the premises is used by Adima a local NGO in Pedreguer assisting children and adolescents the LUDAI association from Dénia used the pool and adjacent space for exercises with children with developmental difficulties until they needed a location to establish an early intervention centre. El Campell did not meet the requirements for that The association ‘Condenados al Bordillo’ (Condemned to the Curb) which assists individuals with functional diversity The villa has not only served associations; it also accommodated a group of archaeologists from the Provincial Archaeological Museum of Alicante for a decade during which they conducted excavations at a local site and held a summer soccer camp for children organised by Valencia’s soccer team captain José Luis Gayá The Pre-Labor Adaptation Workshop for Social Reintegration (TAPIS) from Dénia has also used the facilities temporarily over the past 15 years “What does this have to do with rehabilitation or drug prevention one of the clauses in the agreement stated that the excavation team would dedicate a day to engage with AMADEM users to teach them about excavations,” explains the mayor of Pedreguer A similar arrangement occurred with the summer camp where Sergi Ferrús tells Maldita.es that the town hall allocated 80,000 euros to adapt and renovate the house which suffered thefts and some damage after Franky's arrest They had to ask for a bank loan for this: “The town hall went into debt This maintenance cost poses a challenge for the municipal corporation: “It’s great; the civil society of the region benefits all the associations that use it are regional but the other municipalities tend to ignore it and don’t collaborate much It’s very difficult for Pedreguer to manage these expenses.” In this regard Ferrús regrets that they have had to look for “subterfuges to use it for other purposes” and proposes moving there the headquarters of the MASSMA the Social Services Consortium of Marina Alta to enhance its use and thus achieve the involvement of the remaining 21 municipalities it is unfeasible.” This usage would still be shared with AMADEM which indicates they would like to use it more “if it weren’t for transportation,” Esther and Mercedes recall However, the transfer of the MASSMA requires the Fund's authorization as the purposes of confiscated assets must be dedicated to “substance abuse prevention programs Sergi Ferrús has also considered invoking one of the clauses in the agreement that allows convening a commission between the PNSD and the Pedreguer Town Hall to solve issues at El Campell: “Since we haven’t had conflicts but it might be convenient to gather with the Ministry to give it another approach.” which is then dedicated to “substance abuse prevention programs Cover picture: Designed by Malu Saenz Jaramillo the shared problem of the lack of solutions to throw back to society the confiscated assets related to drug trafficking in Spain We also focus on the situation in Spain and speak to associations that manage drug trafficking-assets and their impact on local communities This investigation has been developed with the support of Journalismfund Europe Creamos herramientas periodísticas para que no te la cuelen: Maldita Hemeroteca Our captain has accumulated more than 400 appearances for VCF Valencia CF captain José Luis Gayà equaled a club legend in the number of matches played in LaLiga (294) The Pedreguer native returned to the starting lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury in his right leg sustained during the match against Rayo Vallecano (Matchday 16 of LALIGA) Gayà continues to solidify his legendary status at Valencia CF entering the top 8 list of players with the most appearances in LaLiga wearing the Valencia jersey This ranking includes historic players such as Fernando Gómez Colomer (420) It’s worth noting that Gayà has accumulated over 400 matches (official and unofficial) with Valencia CF and has a Copa del Rey title (2019) to his name Related news Ver todas The pitch has been restored thanks to donations from LALIGA EA SPORTS and contributions to the ‘FILA CERO SOLIDARIA’ Latest news Ver todas The defender talks over the win in Gran Canaria The Valencia CF coach analyses the win over UD Las Palmas The municipality of Pedreguer has two regular bus services. On the one hand, the one corresponding to transport that connects Alicante with Valencia and that crosses some municipalities of the region. And, on the other, the one offered by the company Autocares Esteve and which connects the Vall de Laguar with Dénia const height_div=document.querySelector('#indice_contenido').offsetHeight;jQuery(function(){var top_div=jQuery('#indice_contenido').offset().top;var total_div=parseInt(height_div)+parseInt(top_div);jQuery(window).scroll(function(){var scroll=total_div-jQuery(window).scrollTop();if(scroll The company that is responsible for providing bus service between Alicante and Valencia is Alsa Through its regular line it runs through various municipalities of the Marina Alta becoming the main road transport for the region Alsa's journey starts at the Adif station in Alicante and ends at the AVE or bus station in Valencia this transport also offers some stops in other regions such as Marina Baixa it should be taken into account that some stops without schedule where the bus does not stop it is recommended to pay special attention to the specific hours of each stop and municipality the regular Alsa bus line during the week makes the first stop in Pedreguer at 07:05 and the last of the tour is at 21:00 h Saturday is the only day of the week on which the bus makes its last stop at Manises airport at 11:30 a.m. the first stop time this day is at 08:35 and the last at 20:50 Pedreguer spends the first bus at 08:20 a.m From Valencia to Alicante the schedule maintains several similarities with the previous one the tour starts at the bus station in the capital during the week and The first stop in Pedreguer from Valencia it is at 06:50 a.m and the last one made by the bus in the municipality is to the 20: 35 h Saturday is the only day that the Alsa bus leaves Manises at 12:30 p.m the first time the transport stops in Pedreguer is at 07:00 and the last time it happens is at 20:30 the first bus arrives in Pedreguer at 10:10 a.m. The total price of the route between Alicante and Valencia is 21,65 Euros Depending on the user's collection point and final stop the ticket price to Alicante it is 10,25 euros To purchase the travel ticket it is necessary to access the website of Alsa to buy it in advance it is possible to buy it on the bus itself through the driver The regional company Autobuses Esteve offers a service of transport between the towns of the Vall de Laguar and Dénia it runs through various municipalities of the Marina Alta Line 1 of Autobuses Esteve is more complete This begins the route in the Vall de Laguar and ends at the Dénia bus stop The regional route schedule is as follows: line 2 follows a route similar to the previous one Since it does not have a web page to use, it is possible to contact the company and request more information by calling 629 54 55 72, sending an email to buses@hotmail.com or accessing the following link The bus stop in Pedreguer is located at Ronda de la Avenida Constitució s/n in the direction of the N-332 road Δdocument.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()) Communication Mitjà 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live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain the Black Flame Bar and Grill in Pedreguer celebrated its 20th anniversary and continues to be one of the most popular eateries in the town it changed its name in 2018 in order to distinguish it from Monroe’s Carvery in Moraira but also to allow this venue to create its own following and legend When you consider that owners Heidi and Sam can trace their involvement in the Costa Blanca hospitality sector back for 35 years you know that any restaurant or bar that they are involved with is bound to be welcoming and serves exceptional food at really sensible prices is like looking at a who’s who of popular and busy restaurants so apart from Monroe’s Carvery and the Black Flame they have either owned or managed the iconic La Micheta but the present reveals what they offer today and that is really something special the Black Flame has a vast area of outdoor seating the day starts with a superb selection of breakfasts and there is quite a selection but it’s the English breakfasts that attract the most interest with the Greedy Boy Breakfast consisting of three of each mushrooms and hash browns being the star and for a little extra you can add black pudding For lunch there is plenty of choice ranging from light bites to a selection of tasty sandwiches and filled jacket potatoes There is also a very full a la carte menu to choose from day and evening which includes some vegan options With a familiar flavour of traditional English cuisine the restaurant  really does offer an extensive menu for the entire family and can host tables of 16 and more to ensure every celebration can be catered for the rack of ribs remains amongst the favourite dishes of the customers alongside the tasty Mega Tower Burger and the kids aren’t overlooked as they can choose from their own special menu customers are encouraged to round off their experience at the Black Flame with one of many tasty desserts on offer What many regular customers look forward to is the carvery which is available on Thursdays from 12.30pm to 3.30pm and Sundays from 12pm to 7pm with the main course consisting of Roast Beef and Roast Pork served with a selection of Yorkshire pudding fresh vegetables and crispy roast potatoes There is also a selection of starters and desserts all very reasonably priced at €14.95 for two courses or €17.95 for three courses it’s no wonder that bookings for the carvery are always recommended There’s also Fishy Friday with special options and you can also enjoy live Irish and rock music every Friday from 7.30pm performed by Larry McConville there’s a great range of different drinks including no less than 14 cocktails some of which are Black Flame specials and there are mocktails for the drivers vodka and bacardi mixers during this time for €3.50 and a pint of lager for €2.40 The Black Flame, Avenida del Garrofer 27, Pedreguer, visit the Black Flame website to view the menu or call 965 761 731 to make a reservation Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this 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