Three people arrested in Switzerland in international drug gang crackdown
The discovery of empty cocaine packaging and shredding equipment at an illegal landfill site in Antwerp, Belgium, led investigators on the trail of an Albanian drug trafficking ring. Three arrests were made in Switzerland as a result of international co-operation. Across Europe, a total of 17 people were arrested.
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The gang from Albania, involved in large-scale drug trafficking and armed robberies, was dismantled. Its activities also extended to Switzerland, as the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) confirmed on Friday in a report by the Italian news agency Adnkronos.
During the operation in Switzerland on Tuesday, police seized nine kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of cocaine. Fedpol did not disclose which cantonal police forces were involved in the operation in the interests of the ongoing investigations in Belgium. The exchange of information between the Swiss and Belgian authorities in the case was coordinated by Fedpol.
The discovery in Antwerp was followed by further operations at landfill sites in Belgium. These uncovered dozens of empty heroin and cocaine packages.
In total, the authorities arrested 17 suspects on Tuesday during their coordinated operation in Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. A further two gang members had already been arrested in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
This case illustrates that Switzerland is clearly part of the European crime area, Fedpol told the Keystone-SDA news agency. With its central location, prosperity and political stability, it is an attractive target for organised crime.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc/sb
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