International “laughing gas” smuggling ring busted in Spain, over 5,000 liters of nitrous oxide seized

Spanish police said Friday they have busted an international ring suspected of smuggling nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” and contraband tobacco.

Officers confiscated 5,184 liters of nitrous oxide from a warehouse and the home of the suspected owner of the trucks used by the ring in the southern province of Malaga, police said in a statement.

Authorities also seized more than 2.5 million contraband cigarettes from a truck in the eastern province of Alicante while members of the group were unloading the cargo, the statement added. Police released a video showing officers unloading dozens of boxes from the truck as well as footage of a warehouse holding hundreds of canisters.

Authorities said the network, composed of Spanish and Eastern European nationals, used legitimate shipments to France and other European countries to transport the nitrous oxide and contraband tobacco.

Seven suspected members of the network were arrested.

“The movements of the suspects were documented using surveillance devices and recording equipment,” police said.

Nitrous oxide is used medically as an anesthetic in dentistry and medicine. Recreational use, which produces feelings of euphoria, relaxation, and dissociation from reality, has grown in popularity, particularly among young people.

Getting high by “whiffing” nitrous oxide has emerged as a dangerous trend on social media. CBS News Confirmed found dozens of videos depicting people inhaling nitrous oxide on TikTok, YouTube and X with views in the hundreds of thousands. In some videos, the gas is inhaled as part of a challenge or social media dare. Other videos feature songs dedicated to the high from the gas. 

Dr. Madeline Renny, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, told CBS News last year that even a single use of the gas could lead to significant health concerns or even prove fatal. 

“There can be a range of symptoms, from headache, lightheadedness, palpitations, passing out and then, in some cases, death,” Renny said. In the U.K., the 2023 death of a college student has been linked to nitrous oxide, BBC News reported.

Several European countries have introduced bans or strict controls on its recreational use.