Police seize 74 kilograms of marijuana

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Police officers of the Federal Police (symbol image)

Investigators from Germany, Austria and Switzerland struck a sensitive blow against an international drug gang. Together with the Ludwigsburg and Aalen police, as well as the Vorarlberg State Criminal Police Office and the St. Gallen cantonal police, the drug investigators seized 74 kilograms of marijuana, almost two kilograms of cocaine and around 160,000 euros in cash after months of investigations in several steps. A total of 14 men are now in custody, as the police announced on Wednesday. 

For the success of the investigation, the investigators had to unravel a complicated network of drug trips and observe couriers over a year and a half: the police in Waiblingen received the first indications of a 39-year-old Bulgarian-Albanian national and his 43-year-old accomplice in the spring of last year received from Ludwigsburg. He later moved to Offenbach and from there organized drug trafficking in southern Germany.

In the course of the investigation, in May 2020, 65 kilos of marijuana transported in a truck were finally seized on a company parking lot in Steinheim. Three men, including the 34-year-old driver of the truck, were arrested, as was the transport coordinator. 

The 39-year-old suspect had meanwhile organized numerous drug trips between Germany and abroad with a family member and supplied cocaine and marijuana to customers in southern Germany and in the Swiss-Austrian border region. In Austria he was finally caught red-handed - with 5.5 kilos of marijuana in the car. 

Finally, the investigators attacked in Karlsruhe, arrested an Albanian pair of brothers and accomplices and found another 2.4 kilos of marijuana and 1.1 kilos of cocaine. Two courier drivers and the 43-year-old also went into the network a little later. At the beginning of July, two 25 and 19-year-old men were finally caught in Ludwigsburg and Leinfelden-Echterdingen, and in August two more 33 and 34-year-old men were caught in Ludwigsburg. 

At least one member of the gang is still on the run after he was arrested in early August in Ludwigsburg as part of the investigation. At that time, a special police unit shot at the man fleeing in a car. 

pgo / dpa