Bosses sat in the harbor

Cocaine from South America: police break up drug gang

(Bild: LPD Kärnten)

"Poison" worth millions, loaded weapons, gang bosses pulling the strings from a prison cell - the latest police bust by Carinthian narcotics investigators has the potential for a Netflix drug series.

It all started with a "small-time" street dealer who wanted to sell cocaine and heroin in a club in Klagenfurt. After a tip-off from a bouncer, the 23-year-old's handcuffs clicked. "At that time, however, we had no idea what dimensions this raid would take on," said Chief Inspector Gottlieb Schrittesser from the Klagenfurt municipal police command in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper.

Weapons seized.

(Bild: LPD Kärnten)

A small example of drugs.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

"Dirty" drug money.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

First the traces led to "small quantities", then there were subsequent seizures of up to 300 grams - until it came to the big "showdown": A kilo of cocaine was to be handed over in a building in the center of Klagenfurt. As the "Krone" learned from investigators, it was arranged by Carinthian undercover investigators.

It was an operation with a difference: not only were the suspects under surveillance - the strictly hierarchical drug gang itself had a very close eye on the handover location and the surrounding area using scouts. Nevertheless, the investigators managed to handcuff all those involved with the support of the Cobra task force.

The lead investigators Katrin Horn and Gottlieb Schrittesser from the Klagenfurt municipal police command.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

Strictly hierarchical network structure
"A delicate operation. In addition to the Austrian drug courier and two Serbian dealers, there was also a bodyguard present who monitored the handover with a loaded weapon (Beretta, editor's note)," says Schrittesser. But everything went according to plan. And thanks to targeted telephone surveillance and investigations, the strictly hierarchical network was gradually unraveled and broken up.

The trail led to prison
And the traces finally led to the two suspected masterminds of the Balkan "poison" network - to the Karlau prison in Graz. Where two suspects originally from Carinthia (a Slovenian and an Austrian with Croatian roots) were already "serving time" for drug and violent offenses, but nevertheless continued their criminal business from their cells.

According to "Krone" information, this was done with the support of a female prison guard, who is said to have provided the duo with the necessary cell phones. And the alleged drug bosses used these to pull the strings via messenger services. Under the pseudonym "Samo Jako" - also the later operational name of the successful police operation.

This success was a major blow against a leading drug gang in Carinthia. It was a very good cooperation with our Styrian colleagues and the Karlau prison.

Chef-Ermittler Gottlieb Schrittesser vom Stadtpolizeikommando Klagenfurt

Woman as a key person
The two bosses took great care to communicate with only one person. Namely with a Slovenian suspect who was in Ljubljana - and officially financed her livelihood as an employee, but "on the side" acted as a link and hub. And organized drug smuggling across the Carinthian and Styrian borders on behalf of the two port brothers. In the end, the handcuffs clicked for them too.

Thanks to the Carinthian investigators in charge and their Styrian colleagues, a total of 21 other suspected members of the gang, which probably operated throughout Austria and was controlled from the Balkans, were finally arrested. And where the majority of the proceeds are said to have flowed back to. A highly professionally managed and structured cartel that has demonstrably smuggled and sold 17.1 kg of heroin, 39.1 kg of cocaine, 19 kg of cannabis, three kilos of "speed" and 1,000 ecstasy tablets (mainly by car) to Austria since December 2022. Total profit: 5.2 million euros!

And the drugs were of a very high quality, with a purity of up to 100 percent in some cases. It is still unclear where the synthetic drugs, which are atypical for Balkan gangs, came from - but the cocaine definitely came from South America. From where the white powder was smuggled in by shipping container.

Father and son as dealers
Interesting: "genuine" Austrians were also involved in the network. Like a young man from Klagenfurt who financed his life as an unemployed person by dealing. And in his apartment, investigators seized drugs and 25,000 euros in cash as well as a loaded handgun. Also of the Beretta type. And even a family "franchise" partner was uncovered, according to information from "Krone": A father and son team from Klagenfurt had earned a considerable extra income by reselling heroin. This seizure also marked the end of the investigations to date.