A 36-year-old Albanian man was intercepted on Sunday on the Brenner Highway (A13) in Tyrol with 12 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs, packed into parcels, were discovered concealed in the vehicle’s bodywork during a targeted inspection, Tyrolean police chief Helmut Tomac announced at a hastily arranged press conference on Monday. With a street value of €1.2 million, it marks the largest cocaine seizure in the history of the province.
The suspect, who resides in Italy, is now in pretrial detention. The man was traveling south through Tyrol in a car with German license plates when police stopped the vehicle based on specific criteria. According to Harald Baumgartner, head of the Foreign and Border Police Division, the suspect gave conflicting statements about his destination and purpose of travel. Coordination with German authorities led to suspicions that the trip was part of a drug smuggling operation.
The Albanian was brought to the Brenner police station, where officers dismantled the car to locate the drugs, Tomac explained. So far, the 36-year-old has been “largely uncooperative,” leaving investigators at the early stages of their inquiry. Details about accomplices or a broader network have yet to emerge.
Philipp Rapold, deputy head of the state criminal investigation department, stated that cocaine remains one of the top three drugs seized in Tyrol, alongside cannabis and amphetamines. While cocaine was once associated with specific social groups, its use has become a “societal-wide problem,” Rapold noted. Consumption occurs across all demographics, with purity levels now reaching an “enormous” 70 to 80 percent. Despite this, the street price remains stable at approximately €100 per gram.
Smuggling routes in Tyrol frequently run both north to south and vice versa, according to Rapold. Heightened inspection and monitoring activities have contributed to an 8.5 percent increase in drug-related offenses in 2023, with 3,395 reported cases compared to the previous year.
Tyrolean authorities have also intercepted suspects involved in other crimes during border checks. For instance, last week, an Algerian man wanted for allegedly killing a compatriot with a knife in France in September 2023 was apprehended on a train. According to authorities, his arrest exemplifies the broader benefits of intensified border control measures.
Meanwhile, illegal migration detections have decreased significantly, with 2,471 cases reported so far this year compared to 4,456 in 2023. Tomac emphasized the ongoing vigilance of law enforcement in tackling both drug smuggling and broader criminal activity in the region.
