A SPANISH retreat has been busted by police for giving tourists Amazonian toad poison to help them go on a “mystical astral journey”.
Cops seized a huge quantity of mind-bending substances including the toad venom, ayahuasca and hallucinogenic cacti at the Costa Blanca resort.
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Global visitors had been paying close to £1,000 to receive a treatment at the spiritual resort which promised guests “mystical” experiences.
The owners promoted themselves as an internationally-renowned, award-winning retreat which helped it draw customers from around the world, officers said.
The facility in Pedreguer, Alicante province, was raided by Spain‘s Guardia Civil this week.
Inside they found a “homemade laboratory” which was described as “rudimentary and unhygienic”.
Officers managed to seize thousands in substances during the raid.
This included 117 San Pedro cacti which contained hallucinogenic mescaline.
Pictures show officers chopping down the lines of cacti trees which had been planted at the retreat.
Eleven litres of prepared ayahuasca, several bottles of Kambó toad secretions, and seven kilograms of Mimosa pudica were also found inside the preparation room.
Elsewhere, police removed 368 kilograms of Harmal seeds, 945 Ritalin tablets, as well as cash and documents.
The overall takings amounted to several hundred thousand euros, police estimated.
Most of which was paid in cash and hadn’t been declared as income.
Two men and a 33-year-old woman, dubbed the “ringleaders” by cops, have been arrested.
Five others known as “spiritual guides” are currently under investigation.
The Guardia Civil said all eight could face charges which include drug trafficking, money laundering, and membership of a criminal organisation.
Officers began their investigation into the unnamed facility last March after a complaint from a victim.
Since then, they have studied the retreat and uncovered some dark truths.
Visitors would pay on average more than £865 each for a full package which lasted between three to five days, a police statement said.
Several retreats were held weekly “for a large number of people” which often went up to 20 tourists.
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The police statement explained: “They offered traditional healing medicine vacation packages with ayahuasca, San Pedro cactus, and Kambó toad venom, and promoted their services extensively.
“They attracted clients from all over the world, mostly from European countries, attracted by an experience described by the company as mystical and beneficial to health.”
“The packages included several days of stay, accommodation, meals, and substance use.
“The retreats were held in groups of up to twenty attendees, who were assisted by six employees of the organisation during the astral journeys.”
“They had numerous bank accounts belonging to entities in various countries.”
During the police raid, a group of 16 people were housed in the main living area of the retreat.
These rooms were designated for “astral travel” as officers found dozens of beds lined up in a circle across two rows.
The walls were covered in traditional psychedelic imagery and tapestries with the room centred around a number of chairs, musical instruments and hanging objects.
Officers said clients would be attended by up to six staff “who prepared and administered the substances”.
The Guardia Civil did not name the facility but local media has reported it was owned by Dutch company Om Mij.
They have acknowledged on their website in recent days that it had “received a visit from the Guardia Civil at our retreat centre in Spain“.
They did not detail why the visit took place but said they believed it was due to “ongoing false accusations”.
“We remain confident that our work does not involve any illegal substances,” their statement continued.
The company has announced it will “temporarily pause” all retreats in both Spain and the Netherlands “as a precautionary measure”.
Images and footage from the police raid also appear to show the same facility advertised in Om Mij’s promotional videos.
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