Andalusia Grapples with Surge in ’Poor Man’s Drug’ from Morocco

The Andalusian authorities are on maximum alert given the scale of the illegal traffic in psychotropic drugs in the region. Recently, the local police of Algeciras arrested a 46-year-old woman in possession of 169 tranquilizer tablets (120 Rivotril tablets and 49 Tranquimazim tablets), 180 euros in cash, as well as 12 medical prescriptions issued by a health center in Fuengirola, several prescriptions in the name of different patients, three stolen identity documents and a credit card.

According to the municipality, the quadragenarian was apprehended by a patrol, not far from Calle Tarifa, in the company of a man on whom three Tranquimazim tablets were found. In the vehicle that was transporting them, the agents found two boxes of Rivotril, reports The Objective. All these drugs and documents found were seized. The defendant was then taken to the headquarters of the national police.

Obtained from a mixture of hashish and clonazepam, karkoubi can produce hallucinogenic effects and extreme violence when mixed with alcohol. This Moroccan drug, accessible at low cost on the black market, is wreaking havoc among young people and vulnerable people in Andalusia. The rise in the consumption of the "drug of the poor" worries the Andalusian Council of Medical Associations (CACM), which has recently denounced an increase in attacks on doctors refusing to prescribe these psychotropic drugs.

Karkoubi causes "real disasters", especially among young people, confirmed Alfonso Carmona, the president of the CACM, stressing that the illegal sale of Rivotril and other psychotropics is a thriving business that can generate up to 3,000 euros per day for certain networks. Public health experts call on the competent authorities to take firm measures to control the distribution of these psychotropic drugs.