Near the “Godzieszów” truck stop, the drivers of two heavy goods vehicles were transferring cargo from one vehicle to the other. KAS and CBŚP officers inspected the vehicles. – Aria [pies służbowy – przyp. istotne.pl] identified a wrapped transport crate. Inside were plastic bags of various sizes containing greenish-brown plant material: 18 kg of marijuana. Its market value is approximately PLN 540,000 – reports Agnieszka Rzeźnicka-Gniadek, spokesperson for the Lower Silesian KAS. – The narcotics and the drivers were detained by CBŚP officers.
And she adds:
As a result of further CBŚP operations in Wrocław, Legnica, Zgorzelec and the surrounding area, 17 people were arrested. Officers seized four firearms and 87 rounds of ammunition, dismantled two cannabis plantations, and confiscated more than 18 kg of marijuana, as well as cocaine and methamphetamine. Searches also revealed so-called tobacco samples and cigarettes without Polish excise markings. Phones, tablets and numerous car parts were secured for examination. Money was seized—more than PLN 200,000 and over EUR 3,000—found at the suspects’ places of residence.
According to CBŚP findings, members of the criminal group were involved in smuggling drugs from the Netherlands to Poland and to other European Union countries, as well as selling them domestically. Everything indicates that the gang members were also involved in producing drugs, namely cultivating cannabis and obtaining marijuana, as well as establishing methamphetamine laboratories (“piko”).
The group members are also accused of committing excise-related crimes involving the production and trade of tobacco products without paying VAT.