1.5 million euros

17-year-old helped to pack drug parcels

The cocaine was seized by the police

(Bild: Polizei OÖ)

Drug investigators from the Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation made a rare big catch: they busted a Balkan gang based in Wels. They are said to have smuggled and sold cocaine and cannabis with a street value of 1.5 million euros. One of the main suspects employed his younger brother as a "logistics and packaging officer".

Drug investigators from the Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation had been investigating for a year with colleagues from the Investigation Group for Street Crime (EGS) and were able to dismantle and track down the gang bit by bit.

Big profits
The boss was a 30-year-old Serb who commanded the eight-strong Balkan gang (22 to 30 years old) - all were arrested. The criminals are said to have smuggled a total of 32 kilos of marijuana and twelve kilos of cocaine with a street value of around 1.5 million euros from their old homeland to Upper Austria and sold them to other distributors in the Ennsdorf, Linz and Wels areas at a profit. Some of the drugs were handed over in kilo packs.

The group communicated via an encrypted cell phone app and everyone had their own task. The headquarters and warehouse were in Wels, where one of the main suspects employed his 17-year-old brother to package the goods. The drugs were stored in an apartment in Wels and a rented building in the surrounding area.

More than 100 accomplices
The mastermind of the gang used various apartments and also several vehicles that were not registered to him. In addition to the main suspects, more than 100 sub-dealers and buyers were also identified and reported.