Vienna investigators arrest five in suspected drug trafficking network

Vienna investigators arrested five people suspected of involvement in organised drug dealing on Friday, seizing more than 112,000 euros in cash and 2.25 kilograms of cocaine, ORF reported. Three arrests were made in Favoriten and two in Penzing, districts of Vienna.

Police observed a 25-year-old and a 50-year-old during an alleged drug handover on Hollergasse in Favoriten. Officers found 2.25 kilograms of cocaine and 2,165 euros in cash in the younger man’s bag. A subsequent search of a flat in Favoriten uncovered another 1,205 euros. Police spokesperson Markus Dittrich said the two men were already known to police.

Investigators also traced a 24-year-old woman who travelled from Penzing to Favoriten and handed a bag containing 60,100 euros to a 54-year-old woman. Searches of two flats in Favoriten uncovered 41,195 euros and 7,425 euros. Police said one flat was used to store money; the other was the 54-year-old’s registered address.

The 24-year-old and another suspect, a 29-year-old man, were arrested at a venue in Penzing. All five detainees are Serbian citizens, and authorities indicated they would be placed in pre-trial detention. Police said the suspects were connected to one another. The cocaine was estimated to have a street value of about 160,000 euros.