Two drug trials

When it’s not just heads that smoke in court

First one please, come in!

(Bild: HS, Krone KREATIV)

Two Central Burgenland residents who grew cannabis on a large scale had to answer for their actions in Eisenstadt. One wanted to be well prepared "if a war came". Both were convicted.

The 35-year-old, who is clearly tattooed on his scalp, is aiming for a career in the army. Well, you have to wear a cap there anyway. But: "Unfortunately, nothing came of it," says the prisoner at the trial at Eisenstadt Regional Court.

Police officers as burglars?
Between 2017 and 2024, the man cultivated a cannabis plantation. Not in 2023, when he took a break. "Then I got bored." He claims to have harvested 9 kilos, most of which he sold for 5 euros per gram at festivals. The quality was inferior. "But that doesn't matter there because people are already served anyway," says his lawyer. And anyway: "Not even the Afghans can compete with this price."

The defendant tried to use force to prevent the officers from searching the house. "I was panicked and thought they were burglars." The man accepts the sentence - 15 months in prison, 10 of which are conditional. The prison sentence has been served and he is allowed to leave Eisenstadt prison.

And the second defendant is already there. The Central Burgenland residents, who live just 2 kilometers apart and don't know each other, were all over each other.

(Bild: HS, Krone KREATIV)

"My medicine"
The armchair in front of the judge was still warm when the next Central Burgenland man took his seat. The 63-year-old had retired four years ago and then "fell into a deep black hole". So he also grew cannabis, "but only for his own use". He has harvested almost 10 kilos since 2020, 5.8 kilos were seized. "I thought to myself, if there's a war, I'll have my medicine at home," says the blameless man, who was sentenced to 15 months' conditional imprisonment for unauthorized handling of narcotics. He left the weed in his herb long ago and now prefers to do a lot of sport.