Long-term operational and procedural activities conducted by officers of the Criminal Division of the District Police Headquarters in Lwówek Śląski led to the breakup of two international criminal groups involved in drug smuggling and trafficking. As reported by the Press Section of the Lower Silesian Provincial Police Headquarters in Wrocław:
The first group’s activities were varied in nature—drugs were transported by land using passenger cars and motorhomes, as well as across the Oder River using dinghies and a jet ski.
And adds: — The second group, in turn, transported marijuana in lorries from Spain to Germany.
The multifaceted investigation concerned the activities of two linked criminal groups operating in Poland and other European Union countries. The officers said: — The evidence gathered made it possible to bring numerous charges related to smuggling, introducing significant quantities of drugs into circulation, and other criminal offences.
What did the investigators establish?
The investigators’ findings show that members of these groups brought significant quantities of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances into Poland and Germany, including marijuana (at least 2.5 tonnes), amphetamine (at least 400 kg), cocaine (at least 3 kg), mephedrone (at least 15 kg), hashish (at least 30 kg), and ecstasy tablets (at least 20,000).
The drugs reached the country through various channels—in passenger and delivery vehicles fitted with concealed compartments, as well as in freight shipments transporting vegetables from Spain.
The operational activities of the Lwówek Śląski criminal investigators led to the seizure of significant quantities of drugs, the discovery of illegal firearms, and the dismantling of a cannabis plantation. The officers also identified those responsible for other serious crimes, including a raid on a currency exchange office and the theft of a marijuana plantation in Krosno Odrzańskie.
The result? The prosecutor referred an indictment against 25 people to the court. In total, the proceedings produced many more charges concerning, among other things, participation in an organised criminal group, smuggling, introducing narcotic drugs into circulation, and possessing firearms without a permit. Some suspects were placed in temporary detention, while preventive measures were applied to the others, including contact bans and property bail.
The police summarise: — Police officers from Lwówek Śląski, working closely with the prosecutor, conducted painstaking analytical, procedural and operational activities that made it possible to break up international criminal structures. The evidence gathered was assessed by the prosecutor’s office as extensive and complete, enabling the case to be referred to court.