GENEVA: Switzerland’s Gotthard road tunnel under the Alps was temporarily blocked by protesters on Friday, worsening the lengthy tailbacks at the start of the Easter holiday.
The 17-kilometer (10.5-mile) tunnel is one of the main routes crossing the Alps from German-speaking Switzerland to the warmer Italian-speaking Ticino region on the south side of the mountains.
Good Friday, the first day of the Easter holiday long weekend, is typically one of the tunnel’s busiest days.
The northern entrance was temporarily blocked by a handful of protesters from Renovate Switzerland, a group that wants the Swiss government to declare a climate emergency and plan for the thermal renovation of every building in the country by 2035.
Switzerland’s ATS news agency reported that the protesters sat on the southbound carriageway at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and glued their hands to the road. Some motorists angrily swiped at their banners.
Police removed the activists around 30 minutes later and the tunnel reopened at around 11:00 am.
Renovate Switzerland said six activists aged 19 to 60 were arrested.
They tweeted that “inaction in the face of the climate catastrophe is more disturbing than 15-kilometer tailbacks.”
The Touring Club Suisse drivers’ association said the traffic jam had grown to 19 kilometers, with motorists facing more than a three-hour wait.
Opened in 1980, the road tunnel has one lane in each direction and typically sees traffic jams around the Easter and summer holidays.
The Gotthard Pass has been a key trade route across the Alps since the Middle Ages.
It remains a key transport link between northern and southern Europe with one road and two rail tunnels under the pass. All three were the longest of their kind in the world when they opened.
Gotthard road tunnel in Swiss Alps blocked by protest
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Gotthard road tunnel in Swiss Alps blocked by protest
- The northern entrance was temporarily blocked by a handful of protesters from Renovate Switzerland
- Police removed the activists around 30 minutes later and the tunnel reopened at around 11:00 am
Spanish police arrest 3 men for shipping dried opium poppy by mail
- The investigation began in September 2025 after the interception of four postal shipments
- Analysis determined that the substance was “Papaver somniferum,” also known as opium poppy
MADRID: Spanish police announced Saturday they arrested three men on suspicion of shipping dried opium poppy capsules by mail across Spain and abroad, including to the United States.
The three were arrested in January and have remained in custody since then, the Civil Guard said in a statement. They were charged with crimes against public health for drug trafficking.
The investigation began in September 2025 after the interception of four postal shipments containing almost 7 kilograms (15.4 pounds) of plant-based substances at the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport, the gateway to Alicante and the Costa Blanca area in southeastern Spain.
Analysis determined that the substance was “Papaver somniferum,” also known as opium poppy, a plant directly linked to the production of opium and its derivatives, the statement said.
Investigators noted that the same surname was used on all the shipments, both for the senders and recipients. It was also verified that all the packages had been sent from different addresses, located in the municipality of Los Alcázares, in the Murcia region.
The operation led to the identification of three men from the same clan, all born in India, who were arrested and a stash of 527 kilograms (about 1,161 pounds) of Papaver somniferum was seized.
After consulting police databases, investigators verified that the three men had been linked to recent thefts of opium poppy from legal plantations intended for pharmaceutical use and located in the province of Albacete.
“In Spain there are legal crops of this plant intended for pharmaceutical use,” said Guardia Civil spokesman Álvaro Gallardo. “But there are many people who extract opium completely illegally for consumption or trafficking, something dangerous if done uncontrollably, since it is a narcotic substance.”
The three detainees were brought before the investigating court of the judicial district of Elche, which ordered their imprisonment.
