AN epidemic of laughing gas abuse is spiralling out of control in Majorca, furious locals have warned.
Dealers are flooding the island’s party hotspots and leaving Brits at risk of seizures, permanent scars and even death.
Ultima HoraA tourist in Majorca being sold balloons on a night out[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdNitrous Oxide balloons openly being inhaled on the notorious party strip in San Antonio Ibiza where two balloons were €10[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdHolidaymaker inhaling balloons on the notorious party strip in San Antonio, Ibiza[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdFinished balloons litter the street on the notorious party strip in Ibiza[/caption]
The trade association Acotur says the sale of balloons filled with nitrous oxide is now “rampant” in Magaluf’s infamous Punta Ballena strip and Playa de Palma in the capital.
Its president, Jose Tirado, is demanding an urgent crackdown, warning: “It’s totally out of control.”
Street dealers are openly targeting tourists with balloons for a fiver a hit – sparking fears the island is going the same way as Ibiza.
There, young Brits have been filmed foaming at the mouth, collapsing with seizures, and even scarred for life by the dangerous drug.
Mr Tirado said: “It is inadmissible. We merchants pay our taxes and we see how the mafias take away our customers.”
He blasted officials for failing to protect businesses, warning trade has plunged 20 per cent this summer compared to last year.
“We are tired of calling the police and they don’t come. In fact, they would have to go with trucks to be able to take the attempted quantities of counterfeits that they sell,” Mr Tirado explained.
Police insist they are cracking down, revealing more than 20 operations have been carried out between June and July, with 50 reports filed, numerous items seized, and 23 fines slapped on illegal vendors ranging from €450 to €750.
Lucmajor council added that more than 200 fake items have been confiscated in Playa de Palma raids.
But Mr Tirado says the problem has exploded since officials banned laughing gas sales in clubs and bars, pushing the trade onto the streets where gangs operate with “total impunity”.
“We can’t take it anymore,” he fumed.
Seizures, scars & street chaos
The crisis mirrors Ibiza’s notorious San Antonio strip, where determined dealers armed with industrial-sized canisters target young Brits as “easy prey”.
Bartender Katie Mae, 21, who works at Irish pub Shenanigans, said laughing gas is “the worst of them all.”
She told The Sun: “I’ll lecture anyone I see taking it – I’ve seen the worst things from laughing gas.
“I’ve seen young lads having seizures on the street and foaming at the mouths, but their friends are high so do nothing to help.
“One girl I saw inhaled gas straight from the canister, and it froze one side of her face. It was all cut up and she would have been scarred for life.”
She added: “The consequences aren’t talked about anywhere near enough. People don’t take it seriously as a drug – but it’s one of the worst.”
News Group Newspapers LtdDealers in San Antonio are armed with huge canisters that pump out up to 80 hits[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdNitrous oxide balloons litter the floor on the notorious party strip in San Antonio[/caption]
Another Brit working the strip admitted she once sold laughing gas until a customer “nearly died”.
She recalled: “A young lad fell backwards and smashed his head on the road in the midst of a balloon high. As soon as that happened I stopped. It really freaked me out.”
The West End of San Antonio is now littered with colourful balloon scraps, as locals despair over the chaos.
Shopworker Angelica Giraldo, 40, said: “It is everywhere now. And it causes lots of accidents. People take it while driving, but it makes them go crazy and they crash. This happens a lot.”
Official crackdowns
Despite laughing gas being illegal in Spain, street sellers continue to brazenly peddle it, some even using apps to warn each other when police are near.
San Antonio Town Council says it is hiring ten new officers and introducing private security to tackle the scourge.
“The City Council is fully aware that these are only the first steps in a broader transformation process and that there is still a long way to go,” it said.
But for locals in Majorca, patience is running thin.
Mr Tirado warned: “This tourist season is not being as good as the previous ones, so the economic problems of the merchants have worsened even more.
“In Majorca we have diesel tourists: they walk a lot and spend little.”
News Group Newspapers LtdThe streets in San Antonio are full of tourists inhaling nitrous oxide[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
