"Krone" interview

New anti-drug chief: “Consumers are getting younger”

Drug dealing now takes place throughout Carinthia - even in the most remote valleys.

(Bild: Elmar Gubisch)

Markus Kreulitsch has been head of the Narcotics Department at the State Office of Criminal Investigation since the beginning of the year. A great responsibility and challenge, especially in Carinthia, as he confirms in the "Krone" interview.

For more than 20 years, the top Carinthian criminalist has dedicated himself to the fight against drug-related crime - and this is certainly no easy task: Markus Kreulitsch was involved in the fight against drugs in the federal capital for years. Most recently at the Federal Criminal Police Office, before the investigator returned home in 2017.

Seizures as part of the latest anti-drug crackdown in Villach

(Bild: LPD Kärnten, Krone KREATIV)

"I've seen and experienced a lot in Vienna - and the challenges in terms of drug-related crime are no smaller here," says the anti-drug boss of the State Criminal Police Office, who has been in office since the beginning of the year, in an interview with "Krone". Which is confirmed by the figures: As reported, Carinthia has "occupied" second place after the federal capital in the Austria-wide addictive drugs ranking for years.

I would like to see more legal options. Like access to online chats in case of urgent suspicion.

Markus Kreulitsch, Chef-Drogenfahnder des Landeskriminalamtes

The number one drug in Carinthia is still cannabis ("for most people, experience shows that it is the gateway drug"), followed by heroin and cocaine. "On the one hand, the demand is obviously high, on the other hand, of course, the proximity to the border also plays a role," Markus Kreulitsch explains the negative statistics. The majority of the "poison" that ends up in Carinthia comes into the country via the Balkans. It is therefore no coincidence that numerous Slovenians and Bosnians were handcuffed in recent raids in the Villach area. However, the chief investigator does not believe that Villach is a drug hotspot.

"Investigators are doing an excellent job"
"Drug-related crime is a control offense. The seizures only prove that the investigators in Villach are doing an excellent job. Drugs are now trafficked throughout Carinthia - dealers and users can be found everywhere. In addition to targeted investigations, we also rely on tips in the drugs sector." Particularly alarming: "Consumers are getting younger - thanks to the internet, it is now much easier to get hold of drugs than it was ten or 20 years ago."