Ten people arrested in record seizure of 1.4 tonnes of heroin

Ten people from Belgium, the Netherlands and Romania were arrested in record drug seizure - 1,452 kilograms of heroin - in the Port of Constanta. According to Eurojust, it is about 10 suspects, who are part of a group of traffickers specialized in bringing large quantities of heroin to Europe. The leader and a member of the group were arrested in the Netherlands, seven others in Belgium, and a trafficker was arrested in Romania. On May 20, the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) managed to seize a historic seizure of 1,452 kilograms of heroin, the drugs being found in a container in the Port of Constanta, in which various construction materials were transported. "During the month of May, DIICOT prosecutors, together with the judicial police workers from the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime - Anti-Drug Service, seized the quantity of 1,452 kilograms of heroin, introduced in Romania by a criminal group of Romanian citizens. It is the largest amount of heroin ever seized by the Romanian authorities and is the second largest in the EU in recent years, with a high purity and a value on the black market of more than 45 million euros. The heroin was loaded in Iran and was destined for Western European countries," said Oana Daniela Patu, deputy chief prosecutor of DIICOT. The container was destined for a company in Belgium. The leader of this group used a significant number of trading companies in Europe as a cover for drug trafficking, which allowed him to bring large quantities of heroin. The DIICOT action was supported by the judicial authorities of Hungary, Austria, Germany, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and France. Eurojust provided support for the transmission and implementation of instruments of international judicial cooperation and organized a coordination meeting in videoconferencing. 3 anti-drug officers from DCCO participated in the actions on the territory of the Western European states, and in Romania a senior analyst from EUROPOL was present at the searches. The operation was carried out with the involvement of DEA representatives from the US Embassy, the Constanta Organized Crime Brigade, the Maritime Ports Organized Crime Service, the Service for Special Interventions and Actions and specialists within the Customs Directorate General. AGERPRES (RO - author: Eusebi Manolache, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Bogdan Gabaroi, editor: Adina Panaitescu)