Police uncover major drug trafficking in Valais tourist resort
Published: Tuesday, Nov 5th 2024, 01:10
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The Valais cantonal police have struck a major blow against drug trafficking. They arrested 15 suspected drug dealers in the resort of Verbier. They are suspected of selling large quantities of drugs. They face prison sentences of several years.
The arrests were preceded by months of investigations in Val de Bagnes, as the Valais cantonal police announced on Tuesday. The 15 people arrested are French nationals who had no obvious connections with each other. According to the police, the suspected drug dealers were mainly active in the tourist resort of Verbier. Eight of them were initially still in custody.
The investigation revealed that large quantities of narcotics were being sold, including ten kilograms of cocaine as well as smaller quantities of ketamine, ecstasy and cannabis. The police also confiscated three kilograms of cannabis, several hundred grams of cocaine, hundreds of ecstasy pills and ketamine.
Over one million francs in sales
The police also seized several tens of thousands of francs. They estimate the turnover from drug trafficking at over one million francs.
Around 20 consumers, some of them resellers, were also arrested. Most of them are from France. However, there are also some Swiss among them.
The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation. The suspected drug traffickers face prison sentences of several years and, in the case of foreign nationals, expulsion from Switzerland for at least five years.
Further arrests likely
According to the cantonal police, the operation is a first in terms of the number of arrests and seizures made. The investigations are continuing and are likely to lead to further arrests, it added.
The cantonal police also point out that the resort of Val de Bagnes is no exception, as cocaine use has increased in the canton and spread to various consumer groups.
The narcotics department of the Valais cantonal police worked closely with the French authorities during the investigations. In particular within the framework of three international mutual legal assistance requests.
In Switzerland, the special division asked its colleagues in the cantons of Vaud and Neuchâtel for support. Arrests and house searches were also carried out there. In Valais, the division was also supported by other specialized divisions of the corps and by the local police in Val de Bagnes.
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