Vienna police seize 30 kilograms of cocaine in decade’s biggest haul

Vienna drug investigators have seized about 30 kilograms of cocaine, the city’s largest haul in a decade, and arrested six people, ORF reported Monday. The investigation ran from autumn 2025 until February.

Police said the group was part of a “mafia-like structure” and had already received prison sentences totalling 17 years and two months. The cocaine was smuggled from Valencia, Spain, in a specially modified Mercedes S-Class. A concealed compartment behind the rear seat, opened with a magnetic switch, hid the drugs during routine checks. The driver carried ski equipment to disguise his role.

Investigators began looking into the group after receiving information about Serbian suspects involved in international drug trafficking around a dealer’s premises in Meidling. They focused on a 43-year-old Serbian man who allegedly ran the operation from a rented apartment and garage in Liesing. Police found 20 kilograms of cocaine there.

Another 10 kilograms were in the Mercedes, which was heading towards Slovenia. A 31-year-old Croatian man, described by police as a professional courier, was arrested at the Spielfeld border crossing. Police also arrested a 31-year-old Austrian man who supplied 27 kilograms of cannabis resin, along with two alleged street-level dealers: a 39-year-old Serbian man and a 36-year-old Iraqi man.

In March, investigators shifted their focus to a third alleged dealer, a 38-year-old Austrian man, after concluding he posed a serious threat to his former wife. He had allegedly threatened and stalked her repeatedly, and several restraining orders had already been issued. When he was stopped, police found a loaded handgun within reach in his car’s centre console. Investigators said he may also have attached a tracking device to his former wife’s car, and described the intervention as preventing a femicide.

In total, police seized more than 30 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value of 3 million to 3.5 million euros, as well as 27 kilograms of cannabis resin, a five-figure sum of cash and three vehicles.