Buyers were young

“Babyface” dealers sold 186 kilos of drugs

Linz police officers were able to break up the drug gang and arrest 20 people, the youngest of whom was only 14 years old

(Bild: Andi Schiel)

They dealt like the big boys, but were still mostly "small": in Linz, the "Babyface" investigation group was set up against a drug gang, which has now presented its success: 21 arrests of 15 to 24-year-olds, evidence of 186 kilos of drugs sold for 1.7 million euros.

The squad was "hierarchically structured with a division of labor", as Barbara Krenn, deputy head of the criminal investigation department of the Linz police, reports. The head was a 21-year-old African, followed by a Portuguese, Afghans and Turks, some with Austrian passports. They brought the drugs in suitcases by train from Germany, stowed them in apartments in Linz and packed them there ready for sale.

Attack because of envy
"The sales areas were away from the known hotspots, namely in the Kaplanhof and Rathaus districts, where the perpetrators had their residences," says Krenn. However, everything was discovered during a personal check at Linz Central Station, where a customer (17) led the police to dealers and revealed three other offenders. Gradually, the investigators got to the bottom of the structures and when an internal fight for the best sales areas or envy over profits escalated and a 15-year-old was assaulted, things went from bad to worse. The boy's mother, to whom he had fled, had called the emergency services. The four attackers were caught, one 16-year-old had two knives and a knuckleduster in his pocket.

Money and car taken
Eventually, the suspects began "chatting" and hiding places and bunker apartments were revealed, the names of the people behind the operation were revealed and, in addition to 30,000 euros in drug money, a BMW 5 Series used to transport the drugs was also seized. In addition to 21 arrests, there were also 100 charges, mostly against the young buyers.

Up to six and a half years in prison
"Most of the five main offenders have now been finally sentenced. With the exception of the 21-year-old mastermind, all of them had no criminal record," reports Walter Eichinger, spokesman for the Linz Regional Court. The sentences were quite severe: between three and six and a half years in prison.