Mafia trial in Vienna: kidnapping, torture and extorted millions!

Mafia trial in Vienna: kidnapping, torture and extorted millions!

A complex trial is currently being held before the jury court at the Vienna Regional Court against several people in connection with serious mafia crime. Loud Small newspaper The defendants are accused of luring two Croats, aged 41 and 64, to Vienna in March 2020 and holding them in an apartment. The men were tied up, brutally abused and threatened with death in order to extort one million euros.

The conditions in the accommodation were alarming. The apartment was lined with nylon and hand saws were clearly visible. The 64-year-old man, who is believed to have made a living by smuggling cigarettes, eventually offered to pay 750,000 euros, which led to the two men's release. The investigation was carried out across borders and involved cooperation between the Federal Criminal Police Office and Serbian and Croatian police authorities.

Technology and Investigations

A crucial aspect of the proceedings is the defendant's incriminating communication, which took place via crypto cell phones. These devices were seized as part of an investigation against the Kavač clan. Chats running on a server in France were decrypted through international cooperation between police authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands and France. These investigations were also supported by the FBI, which helped uncover the criminal acts.

The prosecution describes how the victims were “fully bound like mummies” and had “a knife under their necks”. Reports of torture, beatings and threats underline the seriousness of the allegations. The accused men exercised their right to remain silent and did not comment on the charges.

Mafia potential in Vienna

The incident is part of a larger organized crime phenomenon in Europe. Loud courier Another complex case is pending at the Vienna Regional Court, which deals with an alleged murder order by the Škaljari clan against a member of the Kavač clan. This murder was supposed to take place in Vienna-Ottakring in late winter 2020. A 29-year-old Montenegrin is accused of being involved in the murder plans.

This defendant traveled from Montenegro to carry out the murder and is currently facing charges for serious gang crime. Another notable aspect of the trial is that two people in the murder plot were kidnapped and shot in Turkey and Montenegro in 2020. The operative leader of the plot was arrested in Montenegro in 2024, but extradition to the Austrian judiciary is still pending.

Crime in an international context

The incidents in Vienna are part of a significant trend in crime, according to countrydata.info is increasingly globalized. Crime varies greatly between countries; While mafia-like organizations prevail in Somalia, drug trafficking is a central factor in criminal activity in Mexico. The recession following the coronavirus pandemic has increased social tensions and led to an increase in crime. In many poorer regions, financial hardship often leads to fraud and theft, while in countries with weak legal systems, opportunities for crime thrive.

In this context, it is clear that the mafia and organized crime continue to represent a serious threat, not only in Vienna but also worldwide, where the complexity and interconnectedness of crime methods is constantly increasing.