The Mossos d'Esquadra have deployed two major operations against drug trafficking this Tuesday morning. The first focuses on Lleida and Seròs, in El Segrià, to arrest members of a criminal network involved in cannabis production and arms trafficking. The operation involves nearly 200 officers and includes raids on properties and industrial warehouses in both towns. So far, the Mossos have made eleven arrests, seized over 1,000 marijuana plants, and also found weapons and ammunition.

On one side of the table, the Irishman Daniel Kinahan; on the other, the Bosnian-born Dutchman Edin Gaçanin, alias Tito; opposite, the Moroccan Ridouan Taghi, and at one end, the Italian Raffaele Imperiale. They are conversing in a private room with sea views of the luxurious Burj Al Arab in Dubai. The pandemic has not yet arrived. They control the most important cocaine cartel in the world and feel untouchable. Impunity. Each one fulfills their role. The Irish manage the routes and distribution across various European countries. Gaçanin is the broker, the logistics and financing of the operations. Imperiale transports cocaine to the Italian Camorra. Taghi, the visible face of the Mocro Maffia, supervises the entry of drugs through Dutch and Belgian ports. Power in capital letters. The drug business was decided in Dubai.

Between 2020 and 2025, the Guttmann Neurorehabilitation Hospital in Barcelona admitted six young people with serious neurological sequelae from consuming nitrous oxide, a substance popularly known as laughing gasThese are five young men and one young woman, aged between 19 and 25, who were hospitalized for between one and three months. All of them presented with severe muscle weakness in their limbs (tetraparesis or paraparesis), five had lost the ability to perceive vibrations (hypopalesthesia), and two had a decreased sense of touch due to nerve damage (hypoesthesia). In some cases, the patients lost mobility and required the use of a wheelchair. According to the Department of Health, nitrous oxide is the most commonly used drug within the category of new psychoactive substances among young people, with 1.6% of students aged between 14 and 18 having used it in 2025. Rehabilitation physician Margarita Vallès at the Guttmann Hospital. Journal of NeurologyThe case of a 22-year-old man with a spinal cord disorder affecting sensation and movement, who had begun using laughing gas two years prior, is one example. For the past eight months, he had been inhaling up to 200 balloons a day, the expert explains. Professionals at the Guttmann Institute warn that, although continuous use of laughing gas is generally necessary for serious effects, the effects can occur much sooner, especially in people with low levels of vitamin B12. Vallès explains that sometimes the affected person recovers completely, but other times long-term consequences remain. In the case of the six young patients, one made a full recovery, and the rest continue to experience symptoms, although their mobility has functionally improved. The center's psychologist, Joan Saurí, adds that the typical profile of patients treated for this type of use is that of people without routines or habits, sometimes with complicated family situations, who use laughing gas "as an escape." That's why it's common for these young people to also consume excessive amounts of alcohol or suffer from anxiety disorders, which often leads to poor nutrition.

Sports betting, cards, and roulette are the most common forms of gambling among young Catalans, especially boys. In fact, it is increasingly common for secondary school students, that is, teenagers between 14 and 18 years old, to gamble. Last year, for example, 17% of students participated in in-person gambling, although the percentage among boys rises to 24.5% due to the marked gender gap observed in this practice. This is one of the key findings of the latest survey on drug use in secondary education (ESTUDES), conducted by the Catalan Health Department to understand the consumption habits and addictive behaviors of young Catalans.

With honesty and without embellishments that would not do it justice, Natza Farré (Barcelona, ​​1972) collects in The last time I say goodbye to you (Angle Editorial) Her experiences as the sister of a drug addict. An autobiographical novel that explores family relationships, guilt, and the silence surrounding a period in which many young people tied their lives to drugs. The last time I say goodbye to you It's a very personal book. When did you decide to write it, and how long did it take you?

A jury has unanimously found the defendant guilty of killing a man to whom he owed money related to drug trafficking. The crime occurred in Sant Andreu de la Barca (Baix Llobregat) in May 2020, and the victim's body has not been found. Following the jury's verdict, the Barcelona Provincial Court ordered the defendant, Lluís B., to remain in pretrial detention, while the prosecution maintained its request for a 15-year prison sentence for homicide. The events that the jury unanimously found proven took place on May 11, 2020, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. That day, the victim, Diego Vargas, called the accused in a fit of anger and demanded a meeting to collect payment of a debt related to marijuana trafficking, a matter of contention they had been having since 2019. Vargas, as usual, called the accused to ask him to open the door. This was the last activity recorded on Vargas's phone; although he continued to receive messages, he did not reply to any of them. As AHORA explained, the lack of the body —and, therefore, of all the evidence that could be derived from the victim— meant that the prosecution and the plaintiff had to work hard during the trial to highlight all the indications that pointed to the accused and try to prove the sequence of events.

In recent years, China has managed to capture a significant portion of the market that until recently was dominated by the European pharmaceutical industry, displacing the Old Continent to third place globally in many aspects. This ranking is led by the United States, but the Asian giant continues to gain ground. In this context, Catalonia, the leading center for the sector in Spain, with 44% of the pharmaceutical manufacturing plants (79 out of 181), and one of the main centers in Europe, must play a key role in the effort to improve innovation in the industry and regain its position. Within this framework, the Catalan government (Generalitat) and the industry association Farmaindustria are working to boost competitiveness and increase innovation and patient access to new treatments. The last meeting between the two parties took place last month, attended by President Salvador Illa, before his medical leave, and the president of the industry association, Fina Lladós.

Throughout his life, Jordi Chicletol, stage name of Jordi Gómez, has been a cultural activist, event organizer, DJ and presenter (until last season he was at the helm ofRoom 910(Betevé's pop music program). All these experiences are now compiled in the book I almost died (and other hits)Published by Dashbook, in which he discusses his addiction and mental health struggles and his healing process.

Concern and unease. This is what the European pharmaceutical sector feels in the face of the advance of the US and China. This was expressed by Carlos Gallardo, president and CEO of Almirante and second vice-president of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). During a conference at Matins d'Esade, the representative of the family that controls the majority of Almirante's capital asserted that Europe was, "literally, the pharmacy of the world," and that this characteristic has been lost in the last three decades. "In 25 years, it has gone from contributing half of the innovative medicines to producing only one in five," he explained. Gallardo called on the European Union (EU) to modify its policy and consider the biopharmaceutical sector strategic for the future of the European economy, instead of as a cost center. He explained that investment in research and development (R&D) has fallen by 25% in the last 20 years in Europe, which is delaying the global launch of drugs. He also explained that the regulatory process is also too slow in Europe. As an example, he said that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) takes an average of 426 days to approve a product, while in the US, through the FDA, it takes 244 days. And, in Spain, another 600 days are added. Therefore, companies only have about six years to recoup their investment before the patent expires. During the audience question period, Gallardo called for a commitment to a hub He argued that having a "superpower" research center in Europe, like the one in Boston, USA, instead of one in every country, fragments everything and creates significant inefficiencies. The decline he believes is affecting the European sector also impacts clinical research. "European participation in clinical trials has halved, resulting in 60,000 fewer opportunities for patients." Furthermore, he noted that US and Chinese industrial policies are "redirecting manufacturing investment away from Europe." He also stated that Almirall is committed to artificial intelligence (AI) and explained the process that led the company to focus on medical dermatology. To this end, they consider many variables, from dermatologists' perceptions to the number of patients treated, sales growth, employee satisfaction, progress on the R&D roadmap, and reducing their carbon footprint, he concluded. It has been agreed that its objective is to launch products prescribed by dermatologists, outside the realm of cosmetics or aesthetics.

He was a social media phenomenon, offering advice on sports, bodybuilding, and nutrition, backed by his medical training. This made it much easier for him to attract potential clients. The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) explained on Wednesday what he was like. modus operandi of the endocrinologist who was arrested two weeks ago along with eight other members ofa network that supplied The operation, which dealt in doping drugs and operated primarily in the Barcelona metropolitan area, but also nationally and internationally, at least since 2020, uncovered a network of individuals involved in the trafficking of doping drugs. The main suspect, an endocrinologist and former bodybuilder, was responsible for prescribing illegal medications, most notably growth hormone, a substance used in bodybuilding to increase strength and muscle mass, reduce fat, and enhance the effects of steroids. The doctor operated under the guise of clinics that claimed to offer medical advice to clients—who did not meet the requirements for such treatment—with the aim of boosting their physical performance and increasing their muscle-building capacity. In the thirteen raids carried out at various residences and locations, agents found approximately 40,000 tablets, over 500 pills for sexual enhancement, and 2,500 vials of growth hormone. These latter substances, moreover, came from illegal laboratories and were frequently counterfeit. To pass security checks, they were passed off as cosmetics or medical products from the Baltic countries for subsequent packaging and distribution. Among the seized substances were several counterfeit medications sold under the names of legal medicines in Spain.

The Holy Trinity in the Dominican Republic isn't always what Christianity defines: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. On this Caribbean island, it's often used to refer to the three main revolutionaries of the 19th-century War of Independence: Duarte, Sánchez, and Mella, who achieved independence from Haiti—although the island had previously been a Spanish colony. One hundred years later, in Rikers Island prison in New York, a group of Dominican inmates banded together to stand strong against attacks from other prisoners. The motto they chose was "God, Fatherland, and Liberty," precisely the motto of their country. And, to choose their name, they revived the figures of Duarte, Sánchez, and Mella: they became known as the Trinitarios.

51.8% of students aged 14 to 18 in Spain report having drunk alcohol in the last month, compared to 68% in 2015. Only one in four has tried tobacco, whereas a decade ago it was four in ten. And 21% admit to having smoked cannabis at some point, compared to 29% ten years ago. The Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES) has been conducted for thirty years, and never before has such a drop in interest in alcohol, tobacco, and drugs among teenagers been observed.

When a celebrity is selected to advertise something as truly transversal as coffee, it's because they're a celebrity, accepted by people of all ages and all social classes. A celebrity with no blemishes on their record. In short, a celebrity even for the others celebrities.

Prison workers are accustomed to two classic methods in which inmates try to get hold of prohibited objects such as cell phones and drugs: having someone bring them in during a visit or bringing them in themselves upon returning from leave. But there is a third, more recent method, which involves having someone from outside deliver them using a drone. And, just this week, the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) arrested a man who had brought cell phones and drugs into Brians 1 prison using this method. This comes after workers at Brians 2, the adjacent prison, alerted them last week that they had detected a drone carrying drugs, cell phones, and other prohibited objects in prison.

An increasing number of alternatives to obesity drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are emerging, and one of those that could soon reach the market has a Catalan imprint. An international phase 3 clinical trial, in which the Vall d'Hebron University participated, has demonstrated the efficacy of a new drug for the treatment of people with obesity. Orforgliprone is a drug that, like other obesity drugs, acts on the GLP-1 receptor, which is found in various cells involved in regulating appetite and metabolism in the brain and digestive tract. However, the difference between this drug and the already well-known Ozempic is that orforgliprone can be taken orally, in capsule or pill form, thus avoiding the complications or limitations of injectable treatment.

Catalonia is, by far, the autonomous community where convictions for road safety offenses have increased the most in the last year. Furthermore, it remains the region with the highest total number of sentences, something that the deputy prosecutor for road safety in Barcelona, ​​Isabel López, describes as a "consolidated trend." This is confirmed by the annual report of the State Attorney General's Office, which indicates that more than 27,800 convictions for driving offenses were handed down in Catalonia last year, which represents almost a third (29%) of the 95,300 rulings made last year across the country. This also represents another 9,600 of the rulings made in our country in 2023.

The Prosecutor's Office is calling for the "alarming" increase in drug trafficking in the Barcelona area. Last year, there were 71.49% more drug trafficking cases than in 2023, and those related to hard drugs grew the most. The number of legal proceedings rose from 4,234 in 2023 to 7,261 in 2024, a figure that places Barcelona as the province with the most cases in the entire state and almost double that of Madrid, which accumulated 3,891 last year.

Catalonia doubled the number of antidepressant prescriptions from 2020 to 2023. In the case of children under fifteen, it tripled. And the use of anti-anxiety drugs is rampant in the country. Has this significant increase in psychotropic drug use translated into Catalans suffering less depression and anxiety? Well, it seems not: more than a third of the population suffered from some mental health problem in 2023, according to data from the Spanish National Health System.

Getting tattoos, going out dressed as Pikachu and singing Francoist anthems, drinking his own urine, or getting high for hours are some of the content that Simón Pérez, along with his partner, Silvia Charro, broadcasts for their audience on the Australian platform Kick. But the streaming platform has decided to expel the Spanish duo, known as SS Conexión, following the death of French streamer Raphaël Graven and for violating community rules.

"I'm precisely the kind of nice, upper-middle-class white girl whose relationship with substances has been treated as benign or pitiable, a cause for concern, or a shrug, rather than a punishment." I read this from Leslie Jamison a while back. She wrote it in Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath, a memoir on alcohol addiction that has been translated into Spanish (The imprint of the days, Anagrama). I recognized myself, despite the differences: I've never been accused of having a painful, violent relationship with alcohol. Something in me has saved me. Perhaps it has to do with the gesture, the posture. The family they think I come from. The very white skin. The relative public exposure.