Major drug trial

“Dad organized narcotics and courier trips”

The trial began on Tuesday in the largest courtroom of the Salzburg Provincial Court.

(Bild: Lovric Antonio/Antonio Lovric, Krone KREATIV)

A criminal gang professionally sold around 400 kilograms of drugs between 2019 and 2024. They were discovered through chat messages. Now five defendants had to explain themselves in Salzburg provincial court. But the gang leader was not present.

Due to the large quantities involved, this is one of the biggest drug cases to be heard at Salzburg Provincial Court since Tuesday. Five defendants aged between 30 and 34, all of whom have no criminal record and are all Serbs or have Serbian roots, are accused of trafficking and smuggling around 400 kilos of narcotics.

Dealing took place from 2019 to 2024

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel/Pressefoto Scharinger © Laurin Christl)

Specifically, 363 kilograms of cannabis, 23 kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of speed and 1000 ecstasy tablets were involved. Prosecutor Sandra Lemmermayr spoke of "42 courier trips" in which the narcotics were brought into the country. "The majority was sold here," added Lemmermayr. The gang also ran a cannabis plantation in Wals. However, the alleged head of the gang is not on the defendant's bench. "The father of the first defendant organized all the courier trips and ran the business in Salzburg," the prosecutor said. The criminal, who has even been called as a witness, is believed to have gone into hiding in Serbia.

Gang worked professionally
But how did the whole thing come about? In short: chats. A messenger service called "Sky ECC" was cracked by international investigators. "This enabled a number of crimes to be solved," emphasizes Lemmermayr. The criminals thought they were safe with their chat messages, sent photos of the drugs and communicated openly. Debt lists were kept, the tasks were clearly distributed: "Everyone knew their part," says the public prosecutor. The first defendant, son of the alleged gang leader, "essentially" confessed, explained his defence lawyer Leopold Hirsch: "Dad organized the poison and the courier trips, he was dominant and manipulative and was good at controlling people. It was only through his wife that my client was able to emancipate himself from his father."

If convicted, the accused could face up to 15 years in prison. Hirsch said: "A sentence of half that would be appropriate." No verdicts have yet been announced. The trial will continue on January 14.