License plate stolen

Sitting in a car with drugs, counterfeit money and a sword

A side window smashed, stolen license plates - the police stopped a suspicious car in Elisabeth-Vorstadt in Salzburg on Sunday. During the check, the officers discovered drugs, counterfeit money and a Japanese sword - and the car did not belong to any of the four occupants... 

Police officers noticed a car with a smashed side window and stolen license plates at 9 a.m. yesterday morning. The police immediately checked the suspicious car. The vehicle contained four occupants from Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco, aged between 20 and 32.

None of the men could credibly prove that they were in legal possession of the car. The men also had a small amount of herbal cannabis, a narcotics scale, counterfeit banknotes and a Japanese sword with them.

Contradictions during interrogation
There was also a stolen e-scooter in the trunk. The police arrested the men and took them to the police station to clarify the facts. The drug test revealed that all of the arrested men were impaired. 

When questioned about the charges, the four men became entangled in contradictions. Among other things, they stated that they had received the car, the stolen e-scooter and the counterfeit banknotes from an acquaintance, a 24-year-old Syrian.

The Syrian then came to the police station on his own. When questioned, he again stated that he was keeping the car for an acquaintance. The four men had used the car without his permission. The Salzburg public prosecutor's office ordered that the charges be dropped and the investigation is continuing. The four men will be charged with several administrative offenses and drug-related offenses.