The Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) and the Guardia Civil (Spanish Civil Guard) carried out a search and seizure operation this Thursday at the IRTA-CReSA laboratory, the only facility in Catalonia authorized to handle samples of African swine fever (ASF). The search began shortly after 8:30 a.m. and ended around 11:00 p.m. "It's going to be a long process," police sources said. This action was ordered by the Cerdanyola del Vallès Court of Instruction Number 2 as part of the legal case concerning the outbreak of ASF detected in Collserola, which has been declared secret. The objective is to collect documentation for the investigation that aims to determine whether the outbreak originated from a laboratory leak. The search and seizure of these facilities was carried out following the protocols and security measures required for this type of research center, both police forces stated. According to sources consulted by ARA, this is a first step in what will be a complex investigation. During the search, which lasted more than twelve hours, the officers found a large amount of documentation related to the investigations being carried out at the center, very well organized and compartmentalized. They also had to follow numerous security protocols, and in fact, the objective was precisely to examine them to see if anything went wrong. At this point, according to the same sources, there are no indications pointing in that direction. This is precisely what they came to look for this Thursday. Given its proximity to the origin of the outbreak and the nature of the material they are dealing with—they have samples of African swine fever (ASF)—the sources consulted added, everything had to be thoroughly examined. Several explosives and chemical weapons specialists from both agencies also participated in the police operation. These officers will likely collect samples of the viruses that IRTA works with, also to compare them with those that infected the wild boars and thus verify if they are the same variant. Everything indicates that these samples will be sent to Madrid for analysis. Today's search should be understood as a first step in the investigation, which is still in its very early stages. In other words, the police are beginning to analyze the case and want to obtain as much information as possible from IRTA. To address the case, both police forces have created multidisciplinary teams: the operation is being led by officers from the Mossos d'Esquadra's Environmental Unit and the Guardia Civil's Seprona (Nature Protection Service), as well as agents from the DIC (Criminal Investigation Division), experts in investigation. Throughout the day, IRTA has been heavily guarded by several police vehicles. In the background, the noise of the construction work being carried out on the premises to expand the facility has been present, although The laboratory has already stated that they are not the cause of the outbreak. of plague. The police intervention is very lengthy precisely because all the documentation is highly technical; it needs to be thoroughly analyzed, and taking statements from some workers is not ruled out.