Switzerland arrests three people in strike against drug gang
Published: Friday, Jun 7th 2024, 12:40
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The discovery of empty cocaine packaging and shredding equipment at an illegal landfill site in Antwerp (B) has put investigators on the trail of an Albanian drug trafficking ring. Three arrests were made in Switzerland as part of international cooperation. Across Europe, 17 people were arrested.
The criminal organization from Albania was involved in large-scale drug trafficking and armed robberies. It was dismantled. Its activities also extended to Switzerland, as the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) confirmed on Friday in a report by the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
During the operation in Switzerland on Tuesday, the police seized nine kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of cocaine. Fedpol did not disclose which cantonal police forces were involved in the operation in the interests of the ongoing investigations in Belgium. The Federal Office coordinated the exchange of information between the Swiss and Belgian authorities in the case.
The discovery in Antwerp was followed by further operations at landfill sites in Belgium. These uncovered dozens of empty heroin and cocaine packages.
The authorities arrested a total of 17 suspects on Tuesday during their coordinated operation in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Two other gang members had already been arrested in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
As Fedpol wrote to the Keystone-SDA news agency, the case illustrates that Switzerland is part of the European crime area. With its central location, prosperity and political stability, it is an attractive target for organized crime.
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