The Guardia Civil arrested a Murcia citizen who had been missing since November. He escaped after being detected driving a vehicle in the region of Baños y Mendigo, which he then abandoned. The truck had 34 bottles of nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, according to Guardia Civil sources in a statement.
The inquiry, which is part of Operation Hit Tox, began when a Murcia Local Police patrol spotted a car driving illegally in the aforementioned district in the early hours of the morning, and the driver fled at high speed.
The vehicle, rented at Murcia Region International Airport, was subsequently discovered on the hard shoulder of the A-30 highway, travelling towards Cartagena, locked and with suspicious-looking bottles inside, which turned out to be nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’. Each container held a 615-gram load.
Along with the gas cylinders, other gas distribution equipment, such as balloons and nozzles, a dataphone, and 14 sales receipts ranging in value from 10 to 70 euros, were confiscated, as well as 735 euros in notes and coins of all kinds.
The Guardia Civil conducted an inquiry to identify the fleeing driver, who was linked to accused drug trafficking, recognising the method as one commonly used for the sale of “funny balloons.”
The 34 seized bottles of nitrous oxide would have yielded over 5,000 doses. This material is a liquid gas held in pressurised containers at low temperatures, and direct consumption can result in burns to the mouth and upper respiratory tract.
Recreational areas and venues use balloons and nozzles to distribute nitrous oxide, with average doses ranging from four to twelve grams.
Operation “Hit Tox” resulted in the arrest of the suspect, a Murcia resident suspected of committing a public health crime.
Article 359 of the Penal Code provides a general definition of this crime, which includes prison penalties ranging from six months to three years, fines ranging from six to twelve months, and particular disqualification from profession or industry for six months to two years.
According to the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS), nitrous oxide use can result in hallucinations, confusion, permanent numbness, and other irreversible consequences on the bone marrow and neurological system, as well as psychosis and even death from asphyxiation.
Author: Derek Appleton
No Comment! Be the first one.