Zug Police smash major drug-smuggling ring

In cooperation with the Cantonal Prosecution Service, the Zug Police have smashed a major drug-smuggling ring after a two-year investigation. According to a statement issued by the police, 15 people have been arrested and 55 kilogrammes of heroin seized.
 
Thomas Armbruster (third photograph), who heads the criminal investigation department in the force, said that the high quality heroin found could well have been used to make up to 330 kilogrammes, meaning that the street value of the amount seized was as high as CHF 10 million.
 
Units from the Zug Police searched 20 houses during the course of the operation and seized weapons, ammunition, a dozen cars and cash to the value of several tens of thousands of francs. The authorities in Turkey also assisted in investigating two properties there.
 
The police said this was the biggest ever drugs raid that had ever been conducted in the canton's history and was particularly significant bearing in mind that three key figures, their assistants and couriers responsible for bringing the drugs from Turkey had been able to be arrested, rather than just the small fry. As a result, the drugs trade in the area had been dealt a major blow.
 
The first indication that players in Zug were involved in a major drug-smuggling ring came from a tip-off from the police in Hamburg in 2012, whereafter a special unit was set up in Zug to investigate.
 
The first arrest was made in May 2013 as a courier was discovered trying to bring 16 kilogrammes of heroin into Switzerland. Then, three months later, three more people were arrested in Cham after 30 kilogrammes of the drug was found in a suitcase in a car.
 
According to Armbruster, the gang then quickly reorganised themselves. Even so, between December 2013 and October 2014 further persons were arrested at a number of border crossings and another nine kilogrammes of heroin seized.
 
Of those arrested, 14 were men and one a woman. 11 were Turkish nationals and two Swiss citizens of Turkish origin. The others were an Iranian and a Dutchman. Most were resident in the canton of Zug while others lived in the cantons of Argovia, Lucerne and Zurich.
 
According to Armbruster, none of those arrested had integrated well into Swiss society and they had social contact almost exclusively with each other. Some ran small businesses but most were unemployed or were receiving benefit. Even the key players did not live in the lap of luxury.
 
It seems the couriers travelled by car to Turkey and went to great lengths to hide the drugs inside their vehicles returning to Switzerland via Greece and Italy. In order to throw officials off any scent, they were often accompanied by women and children who knew nothing of what was going on.
 
In all, ten accused are being held in custody. Three have released pending further enquiries. One is already serving a sentence and the case against another has been dropped. Further investigations are still ongoing.