Vienna/Duisburg/Gänserndorf – It was a coordinated operation across national borders: as reported by the Austrian daily newspaper “Krone” on Saturday, a total of ten suspected members of an international drug ring were arrested in a large-scale raid in Austria and Germany.

According to police, the ring was allegedly organized by a 32-year-old Albanian citizen residing in the Lower Austrian district of Gänserndorf.

The man is suspected of running a widespread drug network together with his 48-year-old uncle from Duisburg. During the coordinated search of several properties in both countries, 9 kilograms of cocaine, 64 kilograms of cannabis herb and over 44,000 euros in cash were seized, according to information provided to the “Krone” newspaper by the Lower Austrian State Police.

A total of seven of those arrested were taken to the Josefstadt prison and are being held in custody. Investigators believe that the ring was responsible for supplying the Austrian and German markets on a large scale, with professional distribution channels, warehouse logistics, and presumably other accomplices in the background.

According to the “Krone,” the investigation took several months and was carried out in close cooperation between Austrian and German security authorities. Communication data was analyzed, movement profiles were created, and covert surveillance was carried out. According to criminal investigators, the network was “highly organized and divided into roles” – indications of mafia-like structures are part of the ongoing investigation.