Scurrilous drug trade

Dealer family: parents sold to their children

"All the narcotics produced were intended for sale and consumption by our children," says the father.(Bild: zVg)

For several years, the father and mother cultivated a cannabis plantation in central Burgenland. Their children brought the substance to the people. The lucrative business was exposed. The quartet is facing a trial in Eisenstadt.

Can you deny your daughter a wish? Years ago, her father had agreed to look after her cannabis plants in central Burgenland because she wanted "the harvest for my own use". Never mind, it's only my child.

As soon as he got home from his shift, the husband watered the plants - oh, how well they grew! He bought new seedlings month after month, planted them in the garden, looked after them in the cellar under UV light until he finally became the "plantation owner". The cannabis was meticulously picked, dried and weighed. Because the side job must have been exhausting, the father received help from his wife.

In intimate togetherness, they packed the weed in plastic bags of ten grams each. "What to do with it?" the couple, who had never even smoked a cigarette in their lives, must have asked themselves. What do we have a daughter and a son for? So the buyers were found.

More than 100 cannabis plants were grown.(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

From 2020, the children bought the packets from their parents for 70 euros each and circulated the substance for 100 euros in the Oberpullendorf district. "It was good stuff," says one customer, "and the handover always went smoothly."

The father had expected the house to be searched. He pulled the plants out of the garden and disposed of them in the organic waste. Nevertheless, 16 were seized. He tried to tidy up the cellar. He was unable to get rid of the plantation equipment completely. Neither could the meticulously kept records of the quantities produced.

High electricity costs 
He initially claimed to have hidden the items for his daughter's ex-boyfriend, with whom he still maintained good contact, before giving in: "The children earned 30 euros per deca for themselves. You have to bear in mind that my wife and I also had to pay the electricity costs and buy and maintain the appliances. That's why we kept more of the revenue."

My client played a subordinate role in this so-called family business. She was only involved in cutting the flowers and packing them. She will also plead guilty to this.

Rechtsanwältin Ina-Christin Stiglitz vertritt die Mutter beim Prozess in Eisenstadt.

Bild: Julia Dax-Sinkovits

The husband plays down the role of the wife, who is represented by lawyer Ina-Christin Stiglitz. She had only helped him to cut the harvest and harvest the flowers. The man from Central Burgenland cannot name the total quantity of cannabis flowers produced and placed on the market, although, as mentioned, there was a tally sheet. "All the narcotics produced were intended for sale and consumption by our children."

In October, the family has to answer to the Eisenstadt Regional Court.