Spanish National Police dismantled a group in the Canary Islands that used Santería rituals to exert psychological control over followers, charging large sums of money for ceremonies involving animal sacrifice and consumption of dangerous substances, authorities said Tuesday.
Four people in Tenerife and one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria were arrested on charges of illicit association, animal abuse, fraud, injuries, crimes against public health and false documentation, police said in a statement.
Group leaders targeted vulnerable people and manipulated them through deception and instilling fears, including supposed spiritual threats, according to the investigation.
Members paid large sums for rituals that promised personal benefits, spiritual protection, or cures for illnesses.
During ceremonies, participants sacrificed domestic animals and consumed substances dangerous to health, including jimsonweed, poppers, cocaine and other hallucinogens, police said. Authorities stressed that the use of these substances posed a serious risk to participants.
Psychological control exercised by the cult leader was so intense that several former followers required psychiatric treatment after leaving the group, police said.
Suspects appeared in court on Thursday. The judge ordered the group leader remanded in custody, while others were released with precautionary measures.
Santería is an Afro-Caribbean religion that combines West African Yoruba beliefs with Roman Catholic elements, brought to the Americas through the slave trade.
While the religion itself is a legitimate spiritual practice with millions of adherents, authorities said this group operated as a criminal organisation exploiting spiritual beliefs for financial gain.
Spanish National Police warned of the danger posed by such organisations, which operate under a spiritual guise to commit crimes and obtain economic benefits.