“In my thirty-year career I have defended hundreds of drug cases. But this one is special,” says lawyer Werner Tomanek, as he opens the trial against the alleged mafia boss “Dexter”. Because it’s not just gruesome amounts of drugs involved, the evidence is also special.
“These proceedings are extraordinary for several reasons,” the public prosecutor in Vienna said as he opened the trial of a 35-year-old. Who is well known to the court: drugs, robbery and murder – a mafia boss as he appears in the book. Because of the latter, he had been imprisoned in Serbia for eleven years.
Eleven years for aggravated drug theft
In December 2022, he was also not legally sentenced to eleven years in prison for aggravated robbery at the Vienna Regional Court. Just the beginning of a series of proceedings against “Dexter” – that is his nickname. The Serb is a leading member of a Serbian-Montenegrin gang.
The current trial involves half a ton of cocaine and 100 kilos of heroin. “He came, I call it the ‘branch manager’, from Austria,” said the prosecutor. The 35-year-old is said to have organized and directed the smuggling and supply of the drug. Crypto phones with particularly complex encryption were used.
The FBI planted phones in gangs
“They felt safe and spoke openly,” the prosecutor noted, referring to pages of messages in which the alleged mafia boss communicated with accomplices and clients. What they didn’t know: the cell phones were specially developed by the FBI and then smuggled into potentially criminal circles. The security authorities listened and therefore passed on the results.
Evidence illegal?
And that is exactly what is a thorn in the side of lawyer Werner Tomanek: “This is a legal issue that has never arisen anywhere in the world.” According to the lawyer, the acquisition and use of the data is extremely questionable. According to the Austrian Code of Criminal Procedure, a strong suspicion of a crime would be required to justify monitoring encrypted messages. That would not have been the case at the time of the crime. The evidence was obtained illegally.
The exploitation of chat messages was already a subject in the robbery trial against the Serb in December. However, the Supreme Court ruled in this context that this was lawful and rejected the appeal for nullity. Nevertheless, the defense files an evidentiary motion to stop the presentation of the relevant data and also presents it orally for an hour and a half. So that the Senate rejects him with reference to the OGH ruling.
333 cases of supply and purchase of medicines
“Dexter” himself is less talkative, even during the first trial he remains steadfastly silent. “No, I have nothing to do with the prosecutor,” is one of his few statements. The rightful question from the judge: ‘How is it possible that you are associated with narcotics in 333 cases?’ and refers to photos of the 35-year-old and voice messages in the chats.
Adventurous explanation from the Serb: “These could certainly be photo montages. Maybe it was the police. But tell me, how is it possible that once every two years the police have not photographed me during a transfer, or not found a gram of drugs on me?” He had nothing to do with drugs at all, he was the manager of a café in the city of Serbian Belgrade. He only goes to Austria to buy toys for his children: “It is cheaper here.”
The witnesses do not contribute much to the clarification. Because none of the men want to testify against the alleged mafia boss. The process will take a total of five days. A ruling will be made in early October.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
