Today in Spain: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Spanish police bust gang smuggling marijuana to Ireland in farm feed

Spanish police, in collaboration with British and Irish authorities, have dismantled a criminal gang suspected of smuggled marijuana hidden inside sacks of animal feed sent to Ireland, officials said Thursday.

The investigation began in 2025 after authorities identified a group involving British, Irish, and Spanish nationals using international freight companies to ship pallets of animal feed with concealed marijuana buds to Ireland, Spain's National Police said in a statement.

Officials estimate the group trafficked more than three tons of marijuana since 2019, maintaining steady monthly shipments, it added.

Several shipments were intercepted in Spain and Ireland during the probe, with about 300 kilos of marijuana seized.

Authorities arrested 13 people in Spain and one in Ireland. The operation was carried out with support with Ireland's Garda Siochana and Britain's National Crime Agency.

Twelve raids were carried out in Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia, where officers seized a semiautomatic pistol, three blank-firing guns, and €96,000 ($104,000) in cash.

Spain is a major gateway for drug trafficking into Europe due to its proximity to Morocco -- a leading cannabis producer -- and its historical ties to Latin America.

Sabadell shareholders okay sale of UK unit to Santander

Shareholders in Spanish bank Sabadell have approved the sale of its British unit TSB to Santander, a move seen as a bid to stave off a takeover approach from rival BBVA.

Analysts said selling TSB will give Sabadell, Spain's fourth-largest bank, more cash for dividends, share buybacks or acquisitions that could reduce the appeal of BBVA's offer to shareholders.

It also makes Sabadell a smaller, more Spain-focused bank, which could make the deal less attractive to BBVA strategically, especially if it was seeking to expand its international footprint in Britain with TSB.

Sabadell said in a statement that its shareholders had approved "with broad support" the deal announced in July to sell TSB, which it has owned since 2015, to Santander for £2.65 billion ($3.5 billion).

BBVA, Spain's second-biggest bank after Santander with a big footprint in Latin America and Turkey, launched its all-share bid for Sabadell in May 2024.

The proposed deal aims to create a European banking powerhouse capable of competing with industry heavyweights such as Santander, BNP Paribas, and HSBC.

But the bid -- which values Sabadell at around €15 billion - has faced increasing regulatory and political hurdles.

Spain’s leftist government imposed strict conditions in June, requiring a three-year freeze on any merger between the two lenders to safeguard market competition -- a move seen as a major roadblock to the deal.

700 small earthquakes on Tenerife increase fears of volcanic eruption

Several hours of microseismic activity have been detected around Spain's highest peak, dormant volcano El Teide, on the Canary Island of Tenerife.

More than 700 small earthquakes were recorded on Thursday morning, according to Spain's National Geographic Institute (IGN).

They took place at a depth of about 10km and had very low magnitudes, less than 1 on the Richter scale, so were not felt by residents.

"Someday there will be an eruption; but we don't know if it will be in a year, in 10, or in 100," said IGN head in the Canary Islands Itahiza Domínguez.

"We have to work as if the next seismic activity were tomorrow. It can happen; it happened on La Palma."

Two tourists beat 71-year-old man and grandson in Mallorca town

Two Irish tourists aged 18 were arrested for brutally beating a 71-year-old grandfather and his grandson in Santa Ponça in Mallorca.

The accused were taken into custody but released on bail a few hours later. According to local press, they verbally abused the victims and their relatives in a bar for no apparent reason, chased them down the street and ended up punching and kicking them.

The older man suffered serious facial fractures and had to undergo emergency surgery, while the younger man was knocked unconscious for several minutes by the blows he received.

With additional reporting by AFP.