Eighteen individuals have been taken into custody by the Spanish police on suspicion of being involved in a shamanic organisation that allegedly supplied hallucinogenic drugs to its members.
It is alleged that the suspects were involved in the promotion of structured rituals that involved prohibited psychotropic drugs.
According to reports, the medicines that were used included ayahuasca as well as toad venom.
There were also allegations that the organisation was involved in the use and distribution of mescaline, a well-known hallucinogenic drug, as well as toxic fluids derived from tree frogs. However, it was also said that the organisation was active in ten other countries across Europe and Latin America. It was believed to have operated out of so-called "epicentres for inner evolution" located all around Spain.
The group was brought to the attention of the investigators when they reported discovering advertisements on the internet that promoted neo-shamanic practices. "an improvement in physical and mental health through the ingestion of psychoactive substances," the advertisements promised, according to the police and the authorities.
In the end, investigators were successful in discovering a headquarters in the Colombian forest that was supposedly belonged to the organisation. This headquarters was located "where it had the tools and raw ingredients necessary" to create items such as its "ayahuasca concoction."
There were fifteen arrests made in Madrid, and the officers who made them reported that they also confiscated more than sixty kilogrammes of ayahuasca, which is a psychedelic beverage manufactured from plants.
In addition, they stated that they had seized €24,000 ($26,000) in a variety of currencies, as well as 1 kilogramme (35 ounces) of mescaline.
A house was searched by law enforcement agents during a raid, and among of the items they discovered included money, what appeared to be bags of drugs, and a room that was full with beds.
A police canine can be seen sniffing out a wallet that contains a significant amount of money at one point in the video.
"Developing profit-making rituals involving the use of forbidden psychoactive substances" is the specific charge that has been brought against the 18 individuals who have been detained.
Some of them are also accused of committing offences related to human trafficking, violating the rights of workers, and smuggling, according to a report from the police.
According to the allegations made by the police, the intake of the hallucinogenic drugs generally occurred under the supervision of a physician and his partner, who "posed as a medical graduate." Both have been taken into custody.
While this was going on, the leader of the group, who the cops said was revered by his followers as a spiritual figure, passed away during an inquiry that was being conducted together with Spain's national tax agency.
He was accused with sexual offences and inciting illegal immigration after his death. These charges were brought against him after his death.
The group is also known to have been active in Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, Colombia, and Turkey, according to the authorities. Other nations include Turkey, Mexico, and Colombia.
