The National Police drugs squad has closed down a laboratory said to be the largest yet found in the Balearics. The operation "Breaking Palma" has led to the arrest of a 29-year-old Bulgarian who was working as a biology lab technician at the University of the Balearic Islands.
The laboratory was being used specifically for the manufacture of speed. The Bulgarian, with no previous convictions, had become the largest supplier of the drug, deploying various dealers who mainly focused on Palma's Paseo Marítimo nightlife area.
In order to obtain the necessary chemicals and to avoid suspicion, he used false identity in passing himself off as a research professor from the university's cellular biology department at which he was conducting tests into cancer: a complete fabrication.
Police raided a property in Palma on Thursday and discovered the amphetamine laboratory. They also found quantities of speed as well as lab equipment and highly toxic and dangerous chemicals. In addition, there were bottles and containers of liquids and chemicals which, when mixed, produce amphetamine sulphate. Notebooks with chemical formulae were also seized.