The Guardia Civil in Valencia province have shut down an illegal clinic in Sagunto that administered drugs with psychoactive effects (such as apsiyahuasca, mushrooms, psilocybin, ... kambó and bufo alvarius) to its patients. Those running the illegal clinic attributed healing properties to these substances despite them lacking any scientific backing and not being registered as medicines.
The fake wellness retreat used banned substances and promised patients a cure. The person in charge is now under arrest and another individual is under investigation.
The investigation began when, as part of routine monitoring activities, the police identified an organisation advertising events using psychology-specific terminology. Given the possibility that this might constitute some form of unauthorised practice, the investigators reported the matter COPCV (the official association of psychologists of the region of Valencia).
Following a series of checks, on 13 July, the COPCV lodged a complaint on the grounds that those providing these alleged therapeutic services were not registered with the professional body nor held any relevant qualifications. The centre did not hold a licence or any form of authorisation for the use to which the premises had been put.
The investigation revealed that those running the centre were administering substances with psychoactive potential. These include, among others: ayahuasca, hallucinogenic mushrooms, psilocybin, a secretion from a toad known as kambó and the compound known as bufo alvarius.
All of these are administered under the guise of therapy, with the promise of curing illnesses. Those responsible have failed to provide evidence of the relevant healthcare qualifications or professional registration.
The investigators also found that places on these so-called therapeutic retreats were being advertised on certain websites for prices of up to 500 euros. They advertised on social media that they were producing handmade capsules containing psilocybin, a hallucinogenic substance that poses a high risk to health.
The very same website that advertised these treatments recommended that these substances only be administered by qualified professionals. Even so, none of the organisation's staff held any relevant qualifications, despite administering the psychoactive substances and charging patients for them.
The website claims that participants often experience vomiting and diarrhoea as signs of improvement, to eliminate infections and purify the body. It also claims that "in some cases" the treatment even "prevents cancer from growing", promoting the bogus treatments as genuine "medicine".
The investigators suspected that the so-called "withdrawal sessions" involved administering psychoactive substances to patients over several days while monitoring their vital signs and "treating" the adverse effects associated with these substances.
Following various lines of evidence and reports, a search was carried out on 25 September at venue: a villa in the municipality of Sagunto.
During the search, the police seized numerous substances that are still awaiting analysis by the health department. Among them was a container labelled 'MMS' (Miracle Mineral Solution), a product for which an illegal medicines alert has been issued.
The police also found a capsule-making machine, precision scales, mushrooms with hallucinogenic properties and evidence of kits for growing these species, as well as cash, tokens and medical records belonging to various patients.
At the time of the raid, the police found patients that had come from various parts of Spain: Tarragona, Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Vizcaya.
A few days later, the police arrested the 46-year-old man in charge of the retreat and launched an investigation into a 38-year-old woman. Both are Argentinian nationals and are accused of offences against public health, practicing without a licence and fraud.
The investigation also revealed that the organisation runs a similar facility in Argentina.