By admin 
27.12.2024 08:12
(Act. 27.12.2024 08:49)
Drying costs approximately 850,000 Euro.
©LPD NÖ
An operation against drug-related crime in Vienna and Lower Austria saw eight people arrested and drugs worth 850,000 euros seized. The investigation against the drug gang had been running since December last year.
Eight suspects were taken into custody during a strike against drug-related crime in Lower Austria and Vienna. According to the State Police Directorate in St. Pölten, cannabis, heroin and cocaine with a street retail value of 850,000 euros, as well as two pistols, were seized on St. Stephen’s Day. The investigation by the Lower Austrian state police had been going on for a year.
Strike against drug-related crime in Vienna and Lower Austria
Initially, a 55-year-old Austrian was identified who allegedly rented apartments and single-family homes in Vienna and Lower Austria for the group of perpetrators and sublet them to non-existent persons using forged IDs. The man was arrested and taken to Wiener Neustadt prison.
During a search in Mönichkirchen (Neunkirchen district) on November 11, a decommissioned indoor plantation was discovered. According to the police, approximately 120 kilos of cannabis herb were produced there.
Kilograms of drugs seized during house searches
Another search two days later in St. Andrä-Wördern (Tulln district) secured a working professional cannabis plantation with 1,920 plants. Three Serbian citizens aged 24, 30 and 34 were arrested. According to the studies, this plantation is expected to have produced approximately 240 kilos of cannabis herb between autumn 2023 and June 2024.
During simultaneous searches of apartments in Vienna-Favoriten and -Simmering, a 31-year-old Serb illegally staying in Austria and considered responsible for the plantation in Mönichkirchen, and a 27-year-old Croatian-Serbian national were arrested. Twelve kilos of dried cannabis flowers and one kilo of cocaine were seized.
Two days later, an apartment in Vienna-Ottakring was searched. Two kilos of heroin, one kilo of cocaine, 880 grams of cannabis resin, cutting agents and a loaded pistol were seized there. A 34-year-old Austrian was handcuffed. On November 25, a 21-year-old was arrested in Vienna-Leopoldstadt. A loaded pistol was seized from the Austrian national.
1.5 million euros in damage caused by the exploitation of cannabis plantations
The energy-intensive operation of the two cannabis plantations included the manipulation of the meter to steal electricity. According to the Provincial Police Directorate of Lower Austria, the damage to the network operator amounts to 1.5 million euros.
All suspects were transferred to Wiener Neustadt prison on the orders of the public prosecutor. The searches and arrests were carried out with the support of officers from the Special Forces Directorate (DSE) – Cobra Task Force, the Rapid Response Forces (SRK) of the Provincial Police Directorate of Lower Austria, the Task Force for Combating Street Crime of the State Criminal Police of Lower Austria and police officers from the districts of Neunkirchen and Tulln.
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