On 5th March 2026, we ran an article about how the National Police had raided a cannabis club in the south of Tenerife that was a front for illegal drugs distribution, and how they had also uncovered a cannabis plantation at a finca in Adeje that was allegedly used for growing the marijuana sold in the club.
Since then, we have been contacted by, and have spoken to, the owner of the property whose home has been trashed and squatted by the unscrupulous individuals involved, after he decided to rent it out for the first time ever.
Speaking to Canarian Weekly, Nico, a resident of Adeje, wants to explain his side of the story.
“My name is Nico Pili, and I am the owner of the beautiful finca, depicted in the article, which featured the cannabis plantation raid by the police. This is a home built with a lifetime of savings, transformed through years of sacrifice into an eco-friendly, fully ‘off-grid’ residence powered by solar panels, which has now at the centre of a dramatic situation.”
It all began in November 2025 when Nico, who currently lives abroad, decided to temporarily rent the property out through a third party, to what was believed to be "a good local family".
The property in Adeje before it was rented out in 2025.
The first suspicions arose in February 2026, during an inspection visit. He was confronted with a desolate scene: an overgrown garden, rubbish, filth, the original furniture and appliances gone, holes in the walls, and exposed electrical wires in a structure made entirely of wood, thus exposing it to a very high risk of fire.
“The shocking sight and the tenant’s arrogance forced me to leave the house, feeling extremely distressed”, Nico recounts. Faced with demands for an explanation and payment of back rent to cover the damages (estimated at tens of thousands of euros), I was met by total indifference.”
The shocking turn of events came in March 2026, when the Canarian Weekly reported on a massive police raid by the National Police at a finca, which culminated in the dismantling of an illegal, large-scale cannabis cultivation operation. Nico immediately recognised his kitchen from the photo in the article, and had no idea until then that it was his home being raided!
Despite the police intervention and the official confirmation of serious damage and illegal activities on the property, the paradox begins here: the squatters are still inside the building.
A criminal complaint was promptly filed through legal channels in March, but three months later, the court has yet to set a date for eviction.
“Now I find myself desperate, with my home squatted in and devastated, facing tens of thousands of euros in damage costs, and without having received a single euro in rent,” confesses Nico. “I wanted to make my story public to warn everyone who decides to rent out their property, so they don’t end up going through the ordeal I’m going through.”
Rubbish strewn over the Lithium batteries, which is a fire hazard, plus damage caused by the tenants.
“Today I feel abandoned and powerless. I’m just asking that justice be served as soon as possible, so my home can finally be vacated.”
Nico is going through the correct procedures just to be told that the courts are backed up and he will have to wait. In the meantime, the squatters continue to live on his property rent-free, making it worse day by day.
Surely this is not right. Surely there is something in the system after a police raid that enables a “fast track” to eviction and criminal charges. As yet, we have not seen one and can only wish Nico the best of luck in his plight to get his home back as soon as possible.
