Seven Lauchenoirian citizens have been arrested for intent to supply illegal substances following a raid on a property two miles west of the Kvaskm border. It is thought that those arrested had recently returned to Lauchenoiria over the border with a large quantity of illegal drugs. The operation was carried out by the Lauchenoirian Drug Enforcement Agency in the early hours of Friday morning.
A spokesperson for the DEA told the Lauchenoirian Guardian: “this operation was carried out against a known smuggling gang that we’ve been watching for months. They travel to Kvask, return with drugs and distribute them to criminal members of their gang to sell to the Lauchenoirian population. This operation was the successful culmination of months of surveillance and planning to make Lauchenoiria a safer place.”
Pro-drug legalisation groups plan to hold demonstrations in Usera and Liaville this evening following news of the arrests. Legalisation groups have grown in Liaville and the rest of Aeluria since the civil war in 2018, when tobacco was briefly legalised on the island after the declaration of independence which was supported by forces from the notoriously drug-friendly Kvask, a collection of anarchist communities which borders Lauchenoiria.
The seven members of the smuggling gang, which has not yet been publicly named by the DEA, have been remanded in custody pending trial due to previous convictions and the likelihood of fleeing to Kvask if bailed. A provisional date for the trial has been set for the 17th October. It is expected that more arrests of members of the same gang will follow, though it is unknown if any Kvaskm citizens are involved.
Opinion polling suggests that support for legalisation of recreational drugs in Lauchenoiria has risen in the last three years, however still falls far short of a majority. A recent poll conducted by Mariposa Polling indicated that only 34% of Lauchenoirians would support the legalisation of tobacco or cannabis for recreational purposes, though the number is higher in Yervia province and on Aeluria. The present government has no plans to introduce legislation on changing the status of recreational drugs.
