The lengthy investigation, which included collaboration by Geneva police, Swiss customs officers and police in the Netherlands and Germany, focused on cocaine dealers of West African origin operating in the towns of Yverdon-les-Bains and Vevey in western Switzerland.
The investigators found that the gang had imported “several hundred” kilos of cocaine into Switzerland, but did not specify the time period or overall amount. The seizure of nearly 14 kg of cocaine is one of the largest ever made in canton Vaud.
In all, 13 people were arrested, aged between 28 and 51, the police said in a statement on Tuesday. They included six Nigerians, five of whom were living in Switzerland, two Romanians and two Poles all living in the Netherlands, two Germans in Germany and an Albanian woman living in Switzerland. Almost all of the drug mules were of European origin, while the others were responsible for managing the trafficked cocaine, the police noted in a statement on TuesdayExternal link.
The police also seized over CHF91,000 ($90,733) and €54,000 in cash. Those arrested are being held in Switzerland.
Cocaine use in Swiss cities is among the highest in Europe. In March of this year, the Portugal-based European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug AddictionExternal link identified Barcelona, Spain, as the overall cocaine capital of Europe. But five Swiss cities featured in the centre’s top ten: Zurich ranked second, St Gallen fourth, Geneva fifth, Basel eighth, and Bern ninth.
The statistics come from a European wastewater study of 56 cities in 19 countries.
Popular Stories
More
Life & Aging
Switzerland no longer wants to foot the bill for ‘suicide tourism’
Swiss parliament calls for deeper EU security cooperation
This content was published on
The House of Representatives has called on the Swiss government to take a more proactive approach to European security policy.
Switzerland has no US-style fentanyl problem, says health minister
This content was published on
There is very little chance of a US-sized fentanyl epidemic in Switzerland, says health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider.
This content was published on
Two fish species recently discovered in Switzerland have been called fluvicola and ommata, following an appeal to the public for names.
Convicted ex-shipowner achieves partial success in Swiss court
This content was published on
The Federal Supreme Court orders lower court to reassess part of its verdict against former Swiss shipowner Hans-Jürg Grunder.
This content was published on
A Swiss moratorium on the genetic engineering of plants, which expires at the end of 2025, could be extended for five years.
SWISS airline achieves second-best profit in history
This content was published on
Revenues soared for Swiss International Air Lines in 2024, contributing to the second-largest profit in the company's history.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss police seize CHF2 million worth of heroin
This content was published on
Police in Switzerland have seized 14 kilograms of heroin worth over CHF2 million ($2 million) during a cross-border investigation.
This content was published on
On weekends, Zurich is Europe’s cocaine hot spot. During the week it is second only to Barcelona, finds a wastewater study.
This content was published on
Bern, Zurich, Geneva and Lucerne are hot spots for cocaine, according to Christoph Ort, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). “The amounts of cocaine in the sewage of these cities were in the same range as those European cities with the highest consumption,” declared the Swiss researcher. Ort participated in…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.