132 kilos of marijuana: Drug ring busted
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In Salzburg, the police have uncovered another drug ring. In total, around 132 kilograms of marijuana and other illegal substances are involved. The main perpetrators are two Syrians aged 23 and 27. They would have run a hairdressing salon and a fruit and vegetable trade, i.e. the investigators. Nine suspects have been arrested so far.
A total of 17 young men are said to belong to the gang. As early as January, there were initial indications that the two main suspects were passing large amounts of marijuana to other dealers, police said. Investigations after a robbery would also have drawn conclusions about a connection with the hairdressing salon.
Through extensive surveys, an apartment in Salzburg was then identified as a “narcotics bunker”, say investigators. There have been 16 house searches so far. The accused are between 21 and 30 years old: Turks, Austrians and Syrians.
Nationwide marketing
The 23-year-old main perpetrator organized the distribution to subdealers, the 27-year-old and his 30-year-old brother were responsible for purchase and distribution in Germany.
A 25-year-old Austrian is said to have run the so-called “bunker apartment” and picked up the narcotic at different locations in Salzburg. To do this, he parked his car against the car key on the front tire and walked away for a few minutes. When he returned, there was always a black travel bag with five to 15 kilos of marijuana in the trunk of the car. The man took the bags into the apartment and distributed the drugs to customers who were sent to him. As payment, he was allowed to sell some of the narcotic to his own customer base or consume it himself, the police write.
120 kilos of “grass” bunkered in the apartment
Other suspects worked as couriers or were responsible for brokering customers from other districts such as Hallein or Pongau. According to the police, a total of twelve kilos of marijuana, around one hundred grams of cocaine and more than 11,000 euros in cash were seized during the house searches. The 25-year-old apartment operator is fully confessed. He is also said to have stashed around 120 kilograms of marijuana for the two main accused Syrians within a year.
Four are still in custody
The 23-year-old main suspect is also said to have trafficked about 80 kilos of marijuana and more than four kilos of cocaine in 2020. So far, 30 customers have been identified, according to the investigators. In addition to the main perpetrators, five other suspects are reported as members of the criminal organization. Another ten suspects are reported as subdealers. Four people are currently in custody.