Andorra Police Make 89 Drug Arrests During Snowrow and Festival Security Operation

Andorra Police concluded their enhanced security operation for the Snowrow Festival, Maricóngelada, and Andorra Remember Festival with 89 drug-related arrests: two for trafficking and 87 for possession.

The festivals ran from Thursday to Sunday, but arrests began earlier amid routine public health checks at borders, intensified in advance. The first trafficking case occurred Tuesday morning at the France-Andorra border, where officers stopped a 34-year-old non-resident tourist carrying a 15-gram cocaine rock. A judge rejected his personal-use claim and ordered preventive detention that day. Investigations continue to determine if the drugs were intended for others.

The second trafficking arrest took place Friday evening inside the Snowrow Festival venue in Pas de la Casa. Officers spotted a 28-year-old non-resident tourist apparently selling drugs. As they approached, he struck an agent, fled, and was caught outside with 57 ecstasy pills and 18 grams of cocaine. He faces charges of drug trafficking as a public health offense, resistance to authority, and injury to physical and moral integrity. He appeared before a judge Monday and entered preventive detention that afternoon while probes examine potential wider networks.

Of the possession cases, 35 occurred at borders and 52 at or near festival sites. Most involved small quantities, apart from four tourists—three aged 31 and one 65—with 41 ecstasy pills. Detainees were mostly tourists aged 20 to 40. Seizures totaled around 200 pills, 80 grams of cocaine, over 35 grams of tusi (pink cocaine, often dyed and mixed with toxic substances, valued at about €2,800 on the black market), 36 grams of methamphetamine, nearly 21 grams of ecstasy, 130 grams of hashish, 40 grams of marijuana, traces of ketamine, and one LSD stamp.

The operation saw no major public order issues despite large crowds. It included border vehicle and bus checks with canine units, plus undercover officers working with private security at sites.

The previous week brought four additional border possession arrests: a 46-year-old tourist Monday morning at the France-Andorra crossing with 1.2 grams of cocaine; a 53-year-old that afternoon at Riu Runer with 4.3 grams; and over the weekend, two others aged 35 and 36 at Riu Runer with 2.67 grams of cocaine, 0.87 grams of MDMA, 0.5 grams of ketamine, and 4.5 grams of marijuana.

Other incidents included assaults—a 34-year-old man early Wednesday in Escaldes-Engordany for attacking his ex-partner after her complaint, and a 45-year-old Thursday evening in Encamp for injuring a roommate. Police recorded seven drink-driving cases: six car drivers aged 23 to 47 with blood alcohol levels from 0.92 to 1.79, and a 29-year-old on an electric scooter at 2.89 after crashing on the Cortals d'Encamp road.

Police noted that many tourists overlook Andorra's zero-tolerance drug policy, which imposes €1,000-2,000 fines or prison for even small amounts—especially hard drugs—with no personal-use defense. Snowrow arrests this year exceeded the 68 from 2024 but remained below 1% of attendees.