SWI swissinfo.ch: Swiss police bust huge cocaine drug ring

Front page - SWI swissinfo.ch

Drug trafficking
Swiss police bust huge cocaine drug ring

    Law and order

 See in other languages: 2
This content was published on May 8, 2018 11:32 AMMay 8, 2018 - 11:32
Some of the cocaine seized by the Vaud police

Some of the cocaine seized by the Vaud police
(Police cantonale vaudoise)

Police in western Switzerland say they have seized 13.8 kilograms of cocaine and arrested 13 members of an international drug trafficking gang.

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.

+ Read more about cocaine use in Swiss cities

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.

SDA-ATS/sb
Neuer Inhalt

Horizontal Line
swissinfo EN

The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

    swissinfo.ch

Join us on Facebook!
subscription form

Form for signing up for free newsletter.

Sign up for our free newsletters and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.
Email address
Top stories (weekly)
Latest news (daily)
Business (weekly)
Politics (weekly)
Society (weekly)
Fintech (monthly)

Click here to see more newsletters
There is one comment on this article.
|
Log In

Write a comment...
"HAt commented on the content at 08 May 2018 14:14".
HAt 08-May-2018 14:14
What is "illegal" with cocaine? High price? Related mafia criminal activities?
This is such a hypocritical action by the swiss authorities (law makers and enforers) who are anyway legalizing marijuana (citing medical grounds). Soft drugs and cigarettes are the beginning of a smoking addiction. By legalizing soft drugs, this provides a platform for the addicts to upgrade to a stronger drug.
If individual rights (to sniff drugs or self-suicide) are the norm here, then very soon they will legalise cocaine as soon as they can figure out a way to "tax" the users.
Write an answer...
Related Stories
Drugs
Drug bust
Swiss police seize CHF2 million worth of heroin

Police in Switzerland have seized 14 kilograms of heroin worth over CHF2 million ($2 million) during a cross-border investigation.

    Society
    Law and order

See in other languages: 3
man snorting cocaine
Science Saturday
Zurich is Europe’s weekend cocaine capital

On weekends, Zurich is Europe’s cocaine hot spot. During the week it is second only to Barcelona, finds a wastewater study.

    Sci & Tech
    Law and order
    Health

See in other languages: 2
Swiss snorters
Switzerland’s cocaine hot spots rival Amsterdam
By Simon Bradley

A recent study that found cocaine use in big Swiss cities is among the highest in Europe comes as no surprise to experts, who say it is easy to ...
3 There are 3 comments on this article.

    Business
    Sci & Tech
    Lifestyle
    Health

See in another language: 1
Footer

    The company | Partnerships | Imprint | Jobs | Play SWI | Newsletter subscription | Contact

Back to top
World partners:

    Radio Netherlands Worldwide | Radio Canada International | Radio Praha | Polskie Radio

    RTS | SRF | RSI | RTR | SWI

Front page - SWI swissinfo.ch
swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR