Police have seized several bottles of toad poison and 11 litres of the psychedelic drug ayahuasca during a series of raids at a “spiritual retreat” in eastern Spain.
Three people were arrested after the Guardia Civil swooped on two properties in a rural area of the town of Pedreguer, near Alicante, on Monday. Police found 945 Ritalin tablets, ayahuasca and bottles of toad venom at the properties, which belonged to a company promising to provide "astral journeys”.
They also recovered 117 San Pedro cactus plants, which contain the psychoactive substance mescaline.
Officers began investigating the retreat after receiving a complaint from a victim five months ago, they said, leading detectives to a company advertising “traditional healing medicine vacation packages” using ayahuasca, San Pedro cactus, and Kambó toad venom.
Police said the company sold itself as an “internationally renowned spiritual retreat organisation,” attracting clients from all over the world.
Guests could choose between several different lengths of stay, accommodation, and substances, police said, with the average price per package exceeding €1,000, police said. They estimated the group had made “several hundred thousand euros” over the last year “without declaring any income”.
Several dozen beds were found set up in the rooms designated for "astral travel," where police said clients were simultaneously treated by six members of the group, who prepared and administered the substances and accompanied them throughout the process.
Pictures released by the Guardia Civil show a dozen mattresses on a tiled floor with buckets and boxes of tissues next to each bed. They added 16 clients were staying at the retreat at the time of the raids.
Guardia Civil officers also uncovered a “rudimentary and unhygienic” home laboratory where substances were prepare. Ayahuasca, the San Pedro cactus, Kambó toad venom, harmala, and mimosa are “naturally occurring substances with highly harmful effects on humans”, they said.
“Officers arrested three people, two men and a 33-year-old woman, considered the ringleaders of the group, company administrators, responsible for advertising the services, managing the finances, and preparing the substances for consumption,” they said in a statement.
“Five other people, three men and two women, who are believed to be the organisation's "spiritual guides," responsible for administering the substances and accompanying clients during drug use, have also been investigated.
“All of them are charged with drug trafficking, money laundering, and membership in a criminal organisation. The seized substances have been sent to official laboratories for toxicity analysis.”
