The canisters of nitrous oxide seized during the police action. SUR

112 incident

Young man caught with 120 canisters of 'laughing gas' after he tried to flee police checkpoint in Mijas

The driver of the vehicle, a 25-year-old man, allegedly told officers that he was on his way to a party, where he was planning to sell the potentially dangerous nitrous oxide

Malaga

Monday, 16 June 2025, 15:10

Local Police officers have caught a young man, 25, while he was carrying 120 canisters of laughing gas in his car in the Las Lagunas area of Mijas.

The police were carrying out a routine surveillance patrol, when they saw the man, and were alerted by his nervous behaviour. Upon seeing the police, the man tried to flee the checkpont, which prompted the officers to follow and intercept him.

Once they managed to do that, they asked him to identify himself and found that he had no criminal record. However, his odd behaviour prompted them to inspect the inside of the car, where they found the 120 canisters of nitrous oxide, popularly known as "laughing gas".

The officers then initiated the corresponding criminal proceedings to open an investigation into the driver for a possible offence against public health. The suspect was not arrested, because the substance was not in the process of being sold. It will therefore be up to the investigating authority to determine whether a crime was committed. Both the proceedings and the canisters were handed over to the Guardia Civil.

Serious side effects

Laughing gas has become a fashionable recreational substance in Europe, cheap and popular among young people, but its use can have serious consequences, as Spain's Ministry of Health reports.

Among other complications, it carries an associated risk of asphyxiation due to its compressed liquefied gas nature. Functioning as a dissociative anaesthetic, it may also cause hallucinations, uncontrolled vocalisation, altered perception, spatial and temporal disorientation or reduced sensitivity to pain.

It can also lead to serious health problems, especially if it causes a lack of oxygen to the brain. Among other consequences, it can lead to fainting or even respiratory arrest. Continued consumption can also damage the spinal cord and even lead to death.

If this substance is used for several days in a row or intensively in one session, vitamin B12 levels in the body are reduced. This deficiency could lead to neurological and cognitive problems.