this Civil Guard Intercepted a warehouse in the port of Barcelona 3.2 tons of ‘khat’ worth 61 million euros Arrested one of the alleged traffickers in the largest European seizure of this drug with hallucinogenic and stimulant properties, which hails from Africa and Southern Arabia.
As reported in a statement by the armed institute, the investigation uncovered a business network dedicated to importing “khat” or cathinone, a substance derived from a shrub and whose leaves can be chewed or consumed as an infusion, although there are synthetic variants. they are stronger.
Agents launched investigation earlier this year. After learning that, thanks to the police operation in France, “khat” can be stored in the port facilities in Barcelona.
With branches in different countries, the organization was dedicated to promoting “khat” to the European Union via Spain, using a complex business structure to do this so that trade operations and customs specialists could not be identified.
To bypass audit checks, falsified customs declarations in a way that clearly cancels the ability to analyze risk in such products.
So far, agents have arrested one of the network’s alleged Spanish nationals in Barcelona and launched an investigation into three companies linked to him and the €61m worth of intercepted drugs.
Yet it was not possible to locate the remaining members of the network, ordered the importation of the drug from third countries, making it difficult to identify it.
The operation, which represented a major blow to the supply of “khat” in Europe, was carried out in collaboration with the Health Functional Area of the Government of Catalonia, the Barcelona Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences. , as well as with the Customs Office of both the port and Barcelona airport.