Drug Gang Smashed: Mega-Haul in Raids in Vienna and Lower Austria

In a strike against drug-related crime in Lower Austria and Vienna, eight suspects were taken into custody. According to the state police directorate in St. Pölten on St. Stephen's Day, cannabis, heroin and cocaine with a street sale value of 850,000 euros, as well as two handguns, were secured. The investigations of the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office had been running for a year.

Strike Against Drug-Related Crime in Vienna and Lower Austria

Initially, a 55-year-old Austrian was identified who is believed to have 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 the Wiener Neustadt prison.

In a house search in Mönichkirchen (Neunkirchen district) on November 11, an out-of-operation indoor plantation was discovered. According to the police, about 120 kilos of cannabis herb were produced there.

Kilograms of Drugs Seized in House Searches

In another house search two days later in St. Andrä-Wördern (Tulln district), a professional cannabis indoor plantation in operation with 1,920 plants was secured. Three Serbian citizens aged 24, 30 and 34 were arrested. According to the investigations, this plantation is expected to have yielded about 240 kilos of cannabis herb from autumn 2023 to June 2024.

During simultaneous searches in apartments in Vienna-Favoriten and -Simmering, a 31-year-old Serbian who is illegally residing in Austria, who is believed to be responsible for the plantation in Mönichkirchen, and a 27-year-old Croatian-Serbian citizen 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. There, two kilos of heroin, one kilo of cocaine, 880 grams of cannabis resin, cutting agents, and a loaded handgun were confiscated. A 34-year-old Austrian was handcuffed. On November 25, a 21-year-old was arrested in Vienna-Leopoldstadt. A loaded handgun was seized from the Austrian citizen.

1.5 Million Euro Damage Caused by Operation of Cannabis Plantations

The energy-intensive operation of the two cannabis plantations involved the manipulation of the meter to steal electricity. According to the Lower Austria Provincial Police Directorate, the damage to the network operator amounts to 1.5 million euros.

All the accused were delivered to the Wiener Neustadt prison on the orders of the public prosecutor's office. The house searches and arrests were carried out with the support of officers from the Special Units Directorate (DSE) - Cobra Task Force, the Rapid Response Forces (SRK) of the Lower Austria Provincial Police Directorate, the Task Force for Combating Street Crime of the Lower Austria State Criminal Police Office, and police officers from the Neunkirchen and Tulln districts.

(APA/Red)

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