The five defendants are accused of trafficking around 400 kilograms of narcotic drugs with a sales value of around 3.5 million euros from July 2019 to February 2024. Most of the accused have confessed. According to the defense attorney, the stated amount of drug is too high. The trial was postponed until mid-January 2025.
Cannabis, Kokain, Speed
Specifically, it involves 363 kilos of cannabis, 23 kilos of cocaine, two kilos of speed, 300 grams of crystal meth and 1,050 pieces of ecstasy tablets. The drugs were primarily smuggled from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia to Austria and were mostly sold to buyers in Salzburg. Some deliveries also came from Slovenia, the Netherlands and Spain.
Mastermind went into hiding
The accused are two Serbs and three Austrians between the ages of 30 and 34. You live in Salzburg and were arrested in February. The gang’s mastermind, a 54-year-old Serb who lives temporarily in Salzburg, is said to have organized the drug deliveries from Serbia to Austria. He is believed to have gone into hiding in Serbia and has not yet been caught. Previously unknown couriers took over the drug transport.
Communicated via crypto messenger
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the defendants, including the 33-year-old son of the 54-year-old, acted on a division of labor. They communicated via the supposedly undecryptable crypto messenger service “Sky ECC”. Investigators from France, Belgium and the USA managed to crack the pins and evaluate the chats. However, no drugs were seized. According to the defense attorney, the amount of drug that the defendants are accused of, which is based on projections, is far too high.
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