The police of the city of Galats detained three people who were found to have 30 kg of highly dangerous drugs of the Crystal type worth 600,000 euros. The confiscation is the largest to date, News.ro reports.

According to IPJ Galati, after the investigative and research activities carried out in the criminal case in the line of combating high-risk drug trafficking, the policemen of the Galati Brigade for Combating Organized Crime together with the prosecutors of the Office for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Territorial Service of Galati on Friday stopped a car in a traffic jam in Braila County, in the area of ​​the CFR Surdila Găiseanca bus stop, containing three men, all from Braila, aged 49, 26 and 19.

During the inspection of the car, the police found 30 kg of a substance of the “Crystal” type, which probably belongs to the category of drugs of increased danger. 10 kg were found under the driver’s seat, and 20 kg in the spare wheel.

The drug, which was to be sold in the counties of Galaţi and Braila, known as 3 CMC, has a market value of approximately €600,000 and is the largest seizure to date at the national level.

After the hearings, the prosecutors of the Department of Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Territorial Service of Galati detained three suspects within 24 hours, and on Saturday the three persons will be presented to the Galati court with a proposal for preventive arrest.

When the drug Cristal began to circulate on the black market in Romania

Substance 3 CMC was brought under control under legislative amendments in March 2023, and is equated with high-risk drugs such as cocaine, heroin or mephedrone.

On the black market, the substance can be found in its pure form or multiplied by substances such as glucose, talc, creatine to increase the profits of networks.

This breeding is carried out in so-called conditioning laboratories. In these places, the substance can also be sprayed on plant material to be smoked. The binder is isopropyl acid.

The substance has been on the black market since 2019 and has the street name CRISTAL.

Until March 2023, it was classified as a psychoactive substance and the punishment for trafficking the substance was light, ranging from 6 months to 3 years.

After the legislative changes in March 2023, for trafficking this drug, if it is proven that the suspects have committed the crime of importing it into the country, they face a sentence of 10 to 20 years, as well as the prohibition of certain rights.

What is the effect of the drug Cristal, according to the police

The effects are different, depending on the organism, similar to the effects of MDMA and amphetamine.

The user experiences a lack of empathy, aggression, agitation, tremors, disinhibition, lack of coordination, and constant thirst.

Long-term effects may not be well documented at the European level because it is a relatively new substance.