Andorran Resident Arrested at Border with 15.4g Crystal Meth Hidden in Backpack

Police arrested a 41-year-old Andorran resident at the Runer River border crossing around 2am on Monday after discovering 15.4 grams of crystal meth hidden in his backpack on a regular bus line.

Officers boarded the bus for routine checks at the southern entry point, where nighttime inspections have been strengthened to curb illegal activities. They focused on the man due to his behavior and found two packages during a thorough search. Tests confirmed the synthetic drug, with the quantity pointing to possible trafficking rather than personal use, constituting an offense against public health.

The suspect was detained on site, taken to police stations, and placed at the courts' disposal. Authorities have launched a probe into the drug's origin and intended destination, exploring whether he served as a courier for a wider distribution ring.

This incident capped a weekend of multiple police actions. Thursday night saw the arrest of a 25-year-old man for insulting officers—an offense against honor—during which police also seized 0.4 grams of hashish.

Broader context includes an October bust that has triggered citations for nearly 100 cocaine users tied to a single supplier. Police stopped the 26-year-old man, who was living irregularly in Andorra after prior expulsion for unrelated offenses, during a routine breathalyzer check in Escaldes on October 14. His car held around four grams of cocaine in five packets, traces of the drug, and over €500 in small bundles, mostly €60 packets. A subsequent home raid, supported by sniffer dogs, uncovered 228 grams of cocaine in sealed packages, 21.7 grams of marijuana, 10.4 grams of hashish, a precision scale, about 50 small packets, and other dealing tools.

Phone data extraction revealed the client list. The first 20 users faced the Batllia on Friday, assigned public defenders in groups of four per lawyer for efficiency. They face a standard penalty: one-month conditional nighttime curfew, suspended for two years, plus a €500 fine. These quick proceedings precede the supplier's trial; he remains imprisoned at La Comella. Police had earlier suspicions of his drug involvement but no previous arrests.

Other weekend cases involved a Friday assault outside an Andorra la Vella nightclub, where a 27-year-old man injured a victim requiring hospital treatment, and three drink-driving arrests: a 31-year-old motorcyclist (1.49g/l blood alcohol) riding the wrong way Saturday morning; a 32-year-old woman (1.05g/l) after crashing into a roundabout; and a 42-year-old man (1.92g/l) on an electric scooter weaving Sunday morning.