The National Police dismantled in the Canary Islands the first laboratory in Spain of the new narcotic substance known as "rosin." It is an ultra-concentrated derivative of hashish that, subjected to different filtration, freezing and drying processes, and after its subsequent pressing and purification, becomes a substance of great purity known as "rosin" or "rosin hash."
The agents arrested five people last October in the laboratory located in the municipality of Arona (Santa Cruz de Teerife). Among them are the main suspect, who was caught inside the laboratory while cooking the drug, and those responsible for several cannabis clubs spread throughout the municipalities of Arona and Adeje in Tenerife.
In the searches carried out, 1.7 kilos of "rosin", 167 jars of resin of the same substance, 54 kilos of marijuana, 145 plants and 2 kilos of hashish were seized; likewise, the agents seized the machinery of which the laboratory was composed and 15,000 euros in cash.
The investigation began thanks to information received through the official email account of the National Police. In this way, the agents became aware of the existence of an Italian citizen who, allegedly, was producing a new narcotic substance from a clandestine laboratory located in a basement in Arona (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). Several cannabis clubs in the south of the island as distribution points.
With the first investigations, the agents verified how the main suspect, 29 years of age, continually entered and left the place where the alleged laboratory was located. They also detected that he frequently went to different cannabis clubs spread throughout the municipalities of Arona and Adeje in Tenerife. After several police procedures, they observed that when he left the premises, the influx of people intensified, who remained inside for a few minutes and left.
This allowed them to conclude that, effectively, the sale of "rosin" was being carried out in them, a newly created narcotic substance presented in glass jars prepared for this purpose. "Rosin": Ultra-concentrated derivative of hashish, and obtained by the bubble hash method. With this technique, about 75 kilos of marijuana buds were needed to produce one kilo of "rosin."
On the other hand, the extraction was carried out with the wet plant, so the process was sped up by not having to carry out the drying. The buds were introduced fresh with ice and water inside a bucket, where the heads of the trichomes detached and filtered, carrying out various screenings to extract different types of "rosin."
Once filtered, they were collected by size and frozen, which resulted in a paste of different colors depending on the quality of the drug. Finally, the water was extracted from the frozen paste using a freeze dryer and the product obtained was "rosin," a very high quality hashish derivative, ready for the last step of making "rosin hash," which is obtained by pressing the previous one.
Finally, this substance is stored in glass jars, and in the cold, to ensure a good state of preservation and maintain THC levels.
In addition, the main suspect also used a machine to apply heat, denoting a great knowledge in the handling of temperatures, since the purity and final quality of the product depends on it. In mid-October, the researchers carried out a device that concluded with five arrests and the simultaneous search of three cannabis clubs and the home of the main suspect. The latter was surprised in the basement of the house, where the clandestine laboratory was located, cooking the drug.
As a result of the searches, the agents seized 1.7 kilos of "rosin", 167 jars with "rosin" resin, 54 kilos of marijuana, 145 plants in indoor greenhouses (in the home of the main suspect) and two kilos of hashish. In addition, they seized 15,000 euros in cash and the machinery of which the laboratory was composed, specifically a freeze dryer with a vacuum pump, hydraulic presses, a purification oven, filters and numerous freezers.
The arrested were brought to judicial disposition, decreeing the provisional imprisonment of the main suspect, and the laboratory was completely dismantled.
