Khaberni - Spanish police announced, on Friday, the dismantling of an international network active in smuggling nitrous oxide, known as "laughing gas".
The police stated in their report that officers confiscated 5,184 liters of nitrous oxide from a warehouse and the home of the suspected owner of the trucks used by the network to transport the smuggled goods in the southern province of Malaga.
The statement added that the police also seized more than 2.5 million smuggled cigarettes from a truck in the eastern province of Alicante while the network members were unloading the shipment.
The Spanish authorities indicated that the network, composed of Spanish citizens and Eastern Europeans, used legitimate cargo shipments to smuggle nitrous oxide and cigarettes into France and other European countries.
Seven members of the network were arrested.
Nitrous oxide is medically used as an anesthetic in dentistry, but its inhalation has recently become popular, particularly among young people, as it creates feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and disconnection from reality.
Doctors warn that its misuse can cause damage to the nervous system and death in cases of excessive inhalation.
Several European countries have imposed a ban or strict controls on the use of nitrous oxide as a recreational anesthetic.
