Latvian State Police have detained a group of Latvian and Lithuanian nationals suspected of hiding dozens of kilograms of drugs in forests across the Riga region, following operations in Riga, Jūrmala and surrounding areas, the State Police Public Relations Department reported.
On the 14th of October, police launched an investigation into the illegal trafficking of narcotic substances by an organised criminal group.
Through extensive operational measures and special investigative activities, police identified a total of eight individuals connected to the crime.
On the 21st of October, during a large-scale operation, law enforcement officers detained six people suspected of involvement in drug trafficking. Three individuals attempted to flee from the police but were successfully apprehended.
Two other Latvian nationals were already serving prison sentences for unrelated crimes at the time of the alleged offences
and had used unauthorised communication devices to coordinate illegal activities.
Police conducted a total of ten searches: six at residential properties, three in vehicles and one at a correctional facility. Forested areas were also searched.
The searches uncovered approximately 36 kilograms of various substances, including amphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, hashish, Subutex tablets, Quetiapine Accord tablets, clonazepam tablets and MDMA tablets, as well as 34 devices containing THC, the psychoactive compound found in cannabis plants.
Most of the substances were discovered in barrels buried underground in forested areas.
According to police, this is the first case in the Riga region in which such a large quantity of drugs has been found concealed in a forest.
Police noted that drug dealers typically establish smaller hiding places, which sometimes serve as collection points where customers retrieve drugs.
During the investigative procedures, law enforcement officers also seized 17 mobile phones, three of which were confiscated from correctional facilities, one tablet computer and forged identity documents.
Officers also discovered 5,490 euros in cash, which is believed to have been obtained through criminal activity.
The suspects were born in 1971, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2002 and 2003.
Among those detained were four Lithuanian nationals and two Latvian nationals.
According to information available to the police, none of the detained individuals had official employment in Latvia.
At the time of their detention, two Lithuanian nationals were wanted in connection with criminal offences committed in Lithuania. One of them was also subject to an international arrest warrant specifically related to illegal drug trafficking.
One of the detained Latvian nationals had been wanted in Latvia since the 28th of August this year for sexual offences involving a person under the age of 16 and for theft. The individual has been transferred to serve the sentence imposed on him.
The other detained Latvian national had completed a prison sentence only this spring for a similar offence involving illegal drug trafficking.
Police are continuing their investigation to establish all the circumstances surrounding the case and identify any other individuals who may have been involved.
On the 23rd of October, a court ordered pre-trial detention, the strictest preventive measure, for five individuals involved in the criminal proceedings: four Lithuanian nationals and one Latvian national.
As previously reported, the first public information about the group emerged in late October, when a video filmed by a young woman was posted on social media.
The footage featured sounds resembling gunshots and showed several police vehicles.
At the time, police confirmed that several individuals had been detained in the Riga region in connection with illegal drug trafficking but did not provide further details.