Nighttime Raid at Playa de Palma: Police Take Stock After Operation

Police Presence at Playa de Palma

Around 9:00 p.m., authorities gathered at the station near the coast; the mood was still relaxed: guests sought out restaurants, street vendors cleared their stalls. In the following hours, the scene would change. The National Police conducted extensive checks overnight—part of the ongoing 'Operation Verano' against drug trafficking and disturbances in the tourist area.

Checks in the so-called 'Schinkenstraße'

A focus was the popular Schinkenstraße, where many young vacationers gathered on this Saturday evening. Uniformed officers and plainclothes personnel distributed themselves between bars and terraces, spoke to people, and checked IDs. Not everything went smoothly: at one point, a person was briefly pursued after attempting to evade a check. The pursuit ended in a side street; no arrest was made in that case, but an administrative offense procedure was initiated.

Drug finds and identity checks

During a checkpoint, the officers found several portions of controlled substances with three men standing in a side street. Two were of German origin, one said he lived on Mallorca. The substances were seized and handed over for documentation. The operation also included numerous identity checks: using a digital application, officers compared data in real time. Anyone without an ID was sometimes accompanied to their lodging so that the personal details could be confirmed on site.

Civilian Observers played an important role: discreetly, officers blended in with pedestrians, reported anomalies, and enabled targeted interventions. According to the authorities, such covert tactics help them respond more quickly when a situation escalates.

Further deployments during the night

The night was not only defined by checks. Officers assisted medics at several medical emergencies and helped heavily intoxicated individuals. In addition, reports were filed for pickpocketing, and in two cases mediations were used to settle disputes. By around 5:00 a.m., the shift ended, and incident reports were drawn up at the station.

Since the start of Operation Verano, authorities have reported numerous successes: hundreds of arrests nationwide and almost two hundred measures (actions) in the Playa de Palma area alone. The operation runs until the end of September—and the police say they will maintain the presence as long as the summer season's aftereffects persist.

I was on site until the end of the operation: the rhythm of the night, the beeping of radios, the occasional click of bags—small details that show how much work goes into such a night. For residents and guests, the message is clear: more police means greater perceived security for many, but more checks for others. Both seem to be part of the late-season, apparently.