Squatter flat on Barcelona's Carrer Muntaner vacated after leader's arrest
Mossos d'Esquadra arrested the suspected leader of the illegal occupation at number 107 Carrer Muntaner. A second occupant abandoned the property voluntarily shortly afterwards.
Flat that kept Carrer Muntaner neighbours on edge vacated
The flat at number 107 Carrer Muntaner in Barcelona was emptied on Wednesday after Mossos d'Esquadra arrested the suspected ringleader of the squatting shortly before four in the afternoon. His quarrelsome behaviour had kept much of the residential community terrified for months.
According to a statement from the Generalitat police force, the arrest was made in compliance with a judicial resolution arising from an investigation by the Eixample district into alleged offences of trespassing, threats and coercion. "Within this framework the judicial authority ordered an entry and search of the property. The outcome is one person arrested," the official statement said.
Shortly after the arrest, a woman who also lived in the flat and who was part of the apparatus controlling the property left voluntarily. Despite widespread relief among residents, neighbours acknowledge that the story has not entirely ended.
La Vanguardia had been reporting in recent months how the dwelling had become a meeting point for people with serious drug addiction problems. Several of the occupants were also trafficking in bicycles that were allegedly stolen. Cohabitation in the building was disrupted by the regular presence of intoxicated people in common areas. Children had to dodge them when leaving for school. The community hired a security guard and installed a camera, and postponed façade renovation works out of fear of putting up scaffolding.
A convoluted tale
The history underlying the squatting is especially complicated. The flat belongs to a lawyer from the upper part of the city who had rented it out. A few months ago the owner moved into it, but in a very deteriorated condition that aroused suspicion among neighbours. That was when the influx of drug addicts began. Parties into the early hours of the morning, fights, shouting and arguments became everyday occurrences. At the end of spring the owner disappeared without further explanation.
The man now under arrest and the woman who has just left then took control of the flat. They tapped the electricity supply and broke into the car park toilet to access a tap. The supposed agreement they maintained with the owner was never made clear.
The situation caught the authorities off guard. At one point the possibility that the owner had died was even considered, a hypothesis that the officers themselves came to entertain as they could not locate him. Repeated complaints from the community failed to prompt Mossos d'Esquadra or Guardia Urbana to step up surveillance of the property until the case reached the media.
After being spotted in the area for a few days, the owner disappeared again. Calls to 112 followed in succession and were dealt with promptly, but what proved decisive was the owner filing a trespassing complaint against the occupants. Barcelona City Council eventually made contact with him. On Wednesday he was able to recover his property and return to the flat. The neighbours, for now, are keeping their fingers crossed.
Source: La Vanguardia