600 kilos of cannabis at Vienna Airport: large raid against international smuggling

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Am Flughafen Wien wurden bei Kontrollen 600 Kilo Cannabis sichergestellt. 21 Verdächtige, die Drogen von Thailand nach Europa schmuggelten, wurden festgenommen. Die Ermittlungen dauern an.
At Vienna Airport, 600 kilos of cannabis were secured during controls. 21 suspects who smuggled drugs from Thailand to Europe were arrested. The investigation continues. (Symbolbild/DNAT)
The authorities confiscated around 600 kilos of cannabis for large-scale controls at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. This measure is part of a focused strategy to combat international drug trafficking, especially the smuggling from Thailand to Europe. According to the first reports, 21 people who are suspected of being involved in drug traffic were arrested.

The cooperation between the city police of Schwechat, the Federal Criminal Police Office and customs has led to these arrests since July last year. Even detection dogs were used in the investigation to localize the drugs. The groups that stood out in the controls are said to have distributed drugs that come directly from Thailand in cities within Europe. The men, aged 20 to 54, were brought to the Korneuburg prison.

background and recruitment of the suspects

The suspects come from different nations. According to the police, they were recruited by special internet forums in which rewards of several thousand euros were promised. These promises were underpinned by the clients by a so -called “guarantee of success”. The investigation is now also directed against the backers of this smuggling.

A possible reason for the increase in drug intervention could be the legalization of cannabis cultivation in Thailand. This has led to an oversupply on the market and a drastic drop in prices. The supply for European demand has increased significantly, which attracts criminal organizations. This fact makes the control and combating drug smuggling significantly more difficult. The police point out that the investigation into the backers of the smuggling continues to be underway and that further arrests are not excluded.

The situation at Vienna Airport is just an example from a larger trend that shows not only here, but also at many other European airports. The increased drug trafficking could present the work of the authorities with enormous challenges. For detailed information on this incident and its effects on drug trafficking in Europe, See the current reporting on noe.orf.at .