Trial in Eisenstadt

The drugs rolled across the border in sauna ovens

Until the very end, "Alex" pleaded not guilty before accepting the verdict of the grand jury.

(Bild: HS)

For years, a gang from Ukraine smuggled cannabis into Austria. The meetings always took place in southern Burgenland. Now the right-hand man of the mastermind has also been sentenced to prison.

e all called him "Alex" - the Ukrainian who is said to have collected the money for the "uncle". And everyone was afraid of him because the soldier is supposedly at war with excuses and compassion. No, it's not true that he did violence to a debtor who only handed over 10,000 euros in an envelope instead of 20,000. "That never happened!"

Job interviews as a DJ
The gang trafficked drugs for years. Cannabis was smuggled from Ukraine to Austria, shrink-wrapped in sauna ovens. One could hold 5.5 kilograms, with a retail value of around 30,000 euros. The briefing always took place in southern Burgenland. "I don't know any of these people," said the accused, who was brought out of custody in handcuffs for the trial in Eisenstadt. "I was only in Burgenland once because I wanted to apply for a job as a DJ in a discotheque." And how did his likeness end up on the surveillance photos taken by the State and Federal Criminal Police Office? "I don't know."

Revealing cell phone chats
Several gang members sitting in prisons across Europe incriminate "Alex" heavily. There are also revealing cell phone chats as evidence. "The only thing that is true is that I once entered Austria with a sauna oven because I wanted to do someone a favor. I didn't know that it contained narcotics."

Although the 49-year-old did not plead guilty until the end, he accepted the verdict of the grand jury: 3.5 years in prison for two transports and collecting money for a criminal organization in February 2017. Final.