Charges ranged from 150 to 500 euros.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 20 August (EUROPA PRESS) –
The National Police apprehended three men aged between 37 and 51, as alleged offenders of a public health crime for orchestrating rituals on a rural estate in Tegueste (Tenerife) using psychoactive and hallucinogenic substances, some of which were highly potent, which they distributed to attendees of such gatherings.
In a statement, the Canary Islands Police Headquarters clarified that the probe commenced after officials from the Provincial Information Brigade of Santa Cruz de Tenerife received information from various sources about a supposed association promoting retreats on the island. This event was presented under the guise of providing an experience of enhanced health and spiritual well-being, with the attendees potentially receiving substances aimed at intensifying their experiences.
Initially, the event organisers did not disclose the retreat’s venue to interested parties, thus shortly before the event and following the payment of a registration fee, which fluctuated between 150 and 500 euros, they revealed the retreat’s location.
The authorities indicated that this approach was taken to fortify the security measures in place, presumably to avert disruptions from law enforcement.
AYAHUASCA, RAPE, SAPO BUFO, LSD AND 1,200 EUROS
Investigators, during the judicially sanctioned searches of the rural location, confiscated various psychoactive substances including ayahuasca, a psychoactive concoction noted for its effects on the perception of time and space.
The search also uncovered snuff, a tobacco powder preparation aimed at enhancing the effects of the seized substances and thereby inducing a greater alteration in consciousness; secretions from the bufo toad, a potent hallucinogen; kambo frog, a substance known to trigger intense physiological reactions such as increased heart rate or lowered blood pressure; St. Peter’s cactus, with mescaline as its primary psychoactive component; LSD; and 1,200 euros in cash.
Ultimately, after identifying the principal suspect and alleged organiser of the retreat, a 51-year-old man, along with two other men, purportedly his accomplices, aged 37 and 44, they proceeded to arrest all three and transport them to police stations.
After providing their statements at the police station, the three detainees, along with the pertinent report, were submitted to the appropriate judicial authority.