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Europol's action/ 703 kg of heroin hidden in containers with soap, the 57-year-old was arrested in Albania

2024-11-29 13:52:00, Kronika CNA
Europol's action/ 703 kg of heroin hidden in containers with soap, the
Illustrative photo

An international operation by Europol has led to the arrest of a trafficker who ran a criminal network stretching from Iran to Western Europe.

The investigation was led by German authorities with the support of the Netherlands and Europol. On November 23, a 57-year-old Turkish citizen was arrested in Albania. Residential and business properties linked to the suspect and his girlfriend were searched in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The suspect, one of Europol's high-value targets, is suspected of running a criminal network responsible for the large-scale importation of heroin into Western Europe.

The investigation revealed the suspect's links to the seizure of 703 kilograms of heroin at the port of Hamburg in Germany on August 30, 2022. The heroin was hidden in a shipment of soap containers originating from Iran.

A single dose of a double-digit consumption unit of heroin can be fatal to the user. The suspect is now awaiting extradition to Germany.

Europol has been supporting this investigation since April 2022 with ongoing intelligence development and coordination of operational strategy between all countries involved.

An Operational Task Force was launched at Europol in August 2023. This Task Force is the result of increased enforcement of the law on heroin trafficking in Europe, based on this case and others developed and further supported in the framework of the analysis work of Europol in encrypted criminal communications.

While cocaine is grabbing the headlines, heroin trafficking is still an attractive venture for criminals. The OTF aims to identify and disrupt the 'control and command' of the supply of heroin and targets criminal networks, in the EU and beyond, behind multi-tonne shipments of heroin to the EU./ CNA





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