Police bust

The Spanish police said Monday that they had dismantled a group accused of executing a “spiritual retreat” that offered hallucinogenic drugs and dangerous frog poison to customers around the world.

It is suspected that the gang operates from a villa in the sweaty city of Pedreger, charging more than $ 1,160 for stays of several days that included the consumption of AyahuascaSan Pedro Cactus and a frog poison known as Kambo.

“The withdrawals were carried out in groups of up to twenty participants, who were served by six employees of the organization during the ‘astral trips,” said the Civil Police force on guard in a statement.

A photo released by the force showed a large room with several mattresses on the floor, along with water bottles and scarf boxes and a guitar supported against a wall.

Police said the investigation began last March “after receiving a complaint from a victim.”

“As a result, the officers discovered a company that was announced online as an internationally renowned spiritual retirement organization and has prizes as a guarantee,” said the police.

Police say that the group celebrated several withdrawals per week without the means to respond to poisoning and generated hundreds of thousands of euros in income not declared last year.

He promoted in -line retreats with promises of a “mystical” experience and health benefits that clients “from all over the world, most Europe.”

Police arrested two men and a woman suspected of leading the group and placed five other people under investigation to allegedly act as “spiritual guides” in retreats.

They face drug trafficking charges, money laundering and criminal association.

The officers confiscated 11 liters of ayahuasca, 117 plants of San Pedro Cactus and several bottles of Kambo, a more demanding substance harvest of the skin secretions of the skin of the Amazon giant monkey tree.

Police said 945 Ritalin tablets, as well as effective and numerous documents were also seized.

Substances “may have unpredictable and dangerous effects,” police said.

According to the BBC, the frog, which is found throughout the Amazon, secretes the substance as a defense mechanism to kill or warn animals that try to eat it.

For centuries, indigenous peoples in South America have used Kambo, believing that it eliminates bad luck and improves hunting skills. Today, the proponents claim that Kambo “libra the body of toxins, brings mental clarity and treats several diseases”, but there is no investigation that demonstrates its supposed health benefits, reports the BBC.

Kambo has been linked to deaths, seizures, liver failure and heart attacks, according to BBC.

• Spain
• Bust