A major international drug gang has been broken up following a series of arrests across Austria, with 15 suspects identified and seven already in custody.
In total, authorities have seized 85 kilograms of cannabis, 9.7 kilograms of hashish, cocaine, ketamine and nearly €53,000 in cash.
The investigation, which began in October 2023, uncovered that the gang had smuggled large quantities of narcotics from Spain to Austria between September 2023 and April 2024, before distributing them in the Vienna area.
The first arrests were made in April 2024, after a 31-year-old Austrian, arrested in connection with the operation, provided key information, naming his accomplices. Authorities then arrested seven individuals, aged between 24 and 40, seizing significant quantities of drugs, firearms, counterfeit documents and electronic devices. The suspects – from Austria, Morocco and Russia – are believed to be at the heart of the operation.
International arrest warrants have since been issued for additional members of the gang. In June 2024, the group’s leader, a 30-year-old Austrian, was arrested in Spain following a targeted manhunt. Later that summer, five more individuals were detained, including a 35-year-old Austrian woman and four men, aged between 25 and 31, from France, Turkey and Austria. This month, a 23-year-old Austrian was arrested as the investigation continued.
