raid! Weapons and drugs found in dealer’s apartment – Salzburg
Salzburg officials have been on the trail of a drug gang for over six months. Now the network could be completely unmasked.
Since the end of 2021, the St. Johann im Pongau District Criminal Police Service has been investigating a 37-year-old German woman and her partner, a 41-year-old unemployed Pongau, on suspicion of drug trafficking, criminal association, social benefit fraud and the use of third-party ID cards.
At the beginning of March this year, the 37-year-old and her 17-year-old son and his friend of the same age were arrested after a trip to Austria to get methamphetamine from the Czech Republic. The two young people were later released and reported after the initial investigation. At the same time, the 41-year-old and another 29-year-old accomplice were arrested in their apartments in Schwarzach and Wagrain.
As a result of the investigations, 64 drug buyers in the districts of St. Johann im Pongau, Zell am See, Hallein, Salzburg, Salzburg area and in the district of Braunau in Upper Austria were found and reported for offenses or crimes under the Narcotic Drugs Act. Over time, the couple used various accomplices to help obtain methamphetamine by making trips together or lending the couple their cars.
Police are targeting several suspects
The 37-year-old German is suspected of having imported around nine kilograms of methamphetamine (crystal meth) into Germany between 2012 and her arrest in March. In addition, she is said to have sold around 350 grams of methamphetamine per year, as well as unknown amounts of herbal cannabis and amphetamine to drug buyers. The woman confesses to having brought 15 to 30 grams of methamphetamine from the Czech Republic to Austria on around 40 procurement trips since 2020 and to having sold this and herbal cannabis to buyers. The accomplices who assist them with the trips arrange five grams of free methamphetamine per trip in return.
From his relationship with the 37-year-old German in 2014 until his arrest in March, her partner is said to have operated a drug trade in methamphetamine, amphetamine and cannabis herb together with his partner and carried out methamphetamine procurement trips himself and sold narcotic drugs.
The 29-year-old accomplice from Pongau is suspected of having been involved with the couple in more than ten trips to obtain methamphetamine from the Czech Republic to Austria between October 2021 and his arrest in March 2022, and is said to have imported around 300 grams of methamphetamine . He is reported at large.
In custody since March
As a motive, the couple stated that they were pursuing the heavy self-consumption of methamphetamine and the gambling addiction of the 37-year-olds. Because the two received unemployment benefits and parental leave benefits despite their income from the drug trade, a complaint was also made about social benefit fraud.
The couple has been in custody since March. The presumption of innocence applies to all those named.