SPICE TRAIL
“Its consumption is therefore a serious danger for the human body.”
The British pair were arrested after a watch on a bar in El Campello where parcels containing the drug were being sent.
The spokesman added: “The undercover surveillance operation led to the arrest of a 36-year-old man from England as he went to pick them up.
“Investigators discovered his job was to pick up deliveries for the organisation that imported the drug.
“The other Brit, aged 37, was arrested two days later at Alicante airport as he prepared to flee the country.” of Chinese sellers offered to send our investigators a kilo for as little as £880 – enough for deals worth tens of thousands of pounds at just a fiver a bag.
The powdered chemical, officially known as 5F-ADB and up to ONE HUNDRED TIMES stronger than street cannabis, is made in labs across China, including one in Shanghai pictured by the Sunday People.
Our exclusive snaps show apparatus including a flask full of bright yellow liquid, discarded rubber gloves and sacks of white powder on the floor.
Our investigator said: “The lab was in an industrial park in a suburb about an hour from the city centre.
“It was inside a big industrial complex, alongside a number of units, and was accessed by an industrial lift.
“The seller was in his early 30s and he appeared to be a legitimate chemist, but it was obvious he was producing the Spice compound after hours.
“There was an air of dodginess about the meeting. He asked me to come to the lab at midnight and my visit was very cloak and dagger. He was sweating profusely and very anxious.
“China’s drug laws are somewhat behind other countries around the world and it isn’t illegal to produce the chemical needed to make spice.
Terrible
“There is a very small market for Spice in China itself which helps the chemists. But there is an air of nervousness when working in a country where dealing and manufacturing Class-A drugs like crystal meth is punishable by death.”
Our girl added: “When I walked into the lab I was hit by this really strong wall of toxic aroma. It smelt terrible. There was a small office on the left and in another room there were barrel-loads.
“The chemist said we would have no problem getting it to the UK and elsewhere and said he could supply me with up to 50 kilos a month.”
The powder is smuggled 6,000 miles to the UK and Europe. Last night two Britons were in jail in Spain after £3million-worth was found in packets from Hong Kong described as coffee.
Dealers dissolve the powder in water and spray it on to herbs which are then smoked – with appalling effects.
One seller told another People investigator in an email: “Hello friend. Thanks for your inquiry. We have 5FADB in stock. The purity is 99.9%. The price is 1,100USD/kg. How many grams do you need?”.
Another, who said they represent a second chemical firm, claimed they could supply 5F-ADB and sent our man to the secure messaging app Whatsapp to discuss the deal.
The seller added they could accept payment by “Western Union and Money Gram”.
In poorly written English, a third trader told our man: “5fadb is one our hot sale good quality products... how many do need? 1300USD/kg.”.
Spice is designed to mimic cannabis, but when tested some samples have been found to be 100 times more potent.
Since 2010 there have been around