Drug smuggling to Vienna: Police intercept 380 kilos of cannabis!

Drug smuggling to Vienna: Police intercept 380 kilos of cannabis!

In a comprehensive drug raid, Vienna police recently intercepted two large shipments of drugs. A total of 380 kilos of cannabis and two kilos of cocaine were seized over two days of operation around Easter. Five men aged 35 to 47 were arrested, while another suspect escaped. The drugs were hidden in trucks that were also transporting food, making the smuggling operation particularly perfidious. This was reported by vienna.at.

The first attack took place on April 9 at the border with Slovenia, where 141 kilograms of cannabis and one kilogram of cocaine were discovered in the driver's cab of a semi-trailer truck. Its 47-year-old Serbian driver and a 38-year-old Bosnian passenger were arrested. The cocaine was considered “sample cocaine” for potential buyers. The second attack on April 22nd in Vienna-Favoriten revealed 241 kilograms of cannabis that were supposed to be repacked from a semi-trailer truck into a pickup truck. Here too, three men from Montenegro were arrested while the truck driver escaped.

Complex investigations and networks of perpetrators

The investigation in this case was led by the “AG Maghreb” investigative group of the Vienna State Criminal Police Office. This group has existed since 2015 and specializes in North African groups of perpetrators who obtain drugs via the Balkans. The police are noticing that these groups of perpetrators are becoming increasingly more professional and brutal in their drug trade. According to their observations, Algerian and other North African groups have gained influence in the Vienna drug trade and are working closely with Balkan gangs.

As part of the AG Maghreb's intensive investigations, which were also supplemented by house searches in several apartments in Vienna, in addition to drugs, cash amounting to around 40,000 euros and a money counting machine were seized. The question of whether the arrested suspects have connections to well-known mafia clans such as “Kavac” or “Vracar” is being intensively investigated. The suspects themselves have so far refused to make any statements.

Violence in the drug environment

The situation in the drug world is tense. In April, a 31-year-old Algerian man was attacked with a machete by several men in a subway station and bled to death. This could be related to intra-community disputes in the North African drug scene, according to kurier.at.

The police see themselves as “enemy number one” of these groups of perpetrators. Due to the high level of brutality, house searches are often only carried out with the support of special units. These criminal groups, often armed and ruthless, initially organize themselves locally, but then quickly network throughout Austria and Europe.

According to police statistics, AG Maghreb has already made over 1,000 arrests since its inception and seized a significant amount of drugs, including 450 kilograms of cannabis and several kilograms of heroin and cocaine. This shows how serious the police are in countering organized crime. The State Criminal Police Office emphasizes that ongoing investigations to combat drug trafficking are an indispensable part of the city's security strategy. meinkreis.at also reports on the intensive efforts of the police to dismantle the structures of North African drug traffickers.