The National Police arrested a teenager in the Sindicato neighbourhood after a chase on a scooter. He was carrying a bum bag with over a hundred pills, methadone and fentanyl, and admitted he was selling them.
The National Police detained a minor in the centre of Palma in the early hours of last Thursday after a chase that ended with the young man on the ground and a bum bag full of medications and opioids. The teenager, who was riding an electric scooter, had been identified hours earlier as the suspected perpetrator of a theft of 500 euros from a shop in the city.
The events occurred around two in the morning when officers from the Citizen Attention Group were patrolling the Sindicato neighbourhood and spotted a young man whose description matched that of the robbery suspect. When they signalled for him to stop, the minor accelerated and fled, leading to a chase that lasted several minutes, during which he even rode against traffic on several streets in the old town.
The chase ended when the young man lost control of the scooter and fell to the ground, at which point the officers subdued him. In a subsequent search, the police found in a bum bag 103 pills of medication, three bottles of methadone and a fentanyl patch, one of the most potent and dangerous substances used in healthcare.
According to the National Police, the minor admitted that both the pills and the methadone were intended for illegal sale, leading to a charge of an alleged crime against public health. Subsequent checks also confirmed that he was the perpetrator of the theft committed hours earlier, meaning the police intervention clarified both incidents in a single operation.
The detainee was placed at the disposal of the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, which will decide on his judicial situation. The operation allowed for the removal of a significant quantity of substances that were allegedly going to be distributed illegally in Palma.
The events have raised concerns among residents of the Sindicato neighbourhood, an area with a large influx of people during the day and which has seen several incidents related to drug trafficking in recent months. The National Police has intensified patrols in the area to prevent such crimes, although police sources remind that the sale of prescription medications is a problem affecting the entire city.
The case highlights a worrying trend: the use of electric scooters as a means of escape in urban crimes. Officers note that the limited mobility of these vehicles and the lack of protection for the rider make it easier for chases to end in falls, while also posing a risk to pedestrians when they speed along sidewalks and pedestrian streets.
Fentanyl, present in the seized materials, is a synthetic opioid up to 50 times more potent than heroin, and its presence in the illegal market particularly worries health authorities. Its use without medical supervision can lead to overdoses in very small doses, and its detection in the hands of a minor has raised alarms about the spread of these substances among the youth.
The investigation remains open, and it is not ruled out that the minor acted in collaboration with others. The National Police is working to determine the origin of the medications and the extent of the distribution network, although no further arrests have been made at this time.
From the Palma City Council, the Department of Citizen Security has expressed its support for the police's work and has insisted on the importance of citizen collaboration to detect drug sales points. Residents with information can report it anonymously through the usual channels of the National Police or the Local Police.
The minor, whose identity has not been disclosed due to being a juvenile offender, faces charges of theft, resistance and disobedience to law enforcement officers, and a crime against public health. The Juvenile Prosecutor's Office will decide on the measures to be taken, which can range from supervised release to detention in a juvenile centre.
Such interventions, officers highlight, are common in the centre of Palma, where the street sale of medications and opioid substances has become a growing problem. The National Police reminds that the sale of these products without a prescription is a crime and encourages citizens to report any suspicious activity.
The operation, which concluded without injuries, has been positively evaluated by police commanders, who emphasise the importance of removing potentially lethal substances from the streets. The fentanyl seized, in particular, was in a transdermal patch, a format used in oncological treatments and which can be especially dangerous if handled improperly.
The detainee remains in judicial custody awaiting a hearing at the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office. Meanwhile, the National Police continues investigations to determine whether the minor was part of a broader distribution network of medications in Palma.
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