An Austrian national wanted on an international arrest warrant has now been arrested in the Canary Islands of Lanzarote. The Federal Criminal Police Office confirmed the reports about this in the Spanish media on Friday.
The 44-year-old was arrested in Arrecife. He may have lived on the island under a false identity. The man was wanted on suspicion of drug trafficking and money laundering.
Four other suspects
The man is suspected of being a member of the ‘Gummy Bears Gang’. The group, which was busted just over a year ago, is believed to be a German-Austrian drug joint venture and is said to have laced gummy bears and other candies with THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis. Acting on tips from the main customs office in Nuremberg and the customs investigation office in Munich, authorities in Austria carried out numerous raids and arrested four suspects: three Germans in Vienna and an Austrian in Spain. A search began for a fifth gang member – and the handcuffs clicked for him on Lanzarote too.
More than 178 kilos of cannabis
During the house searches in Vienna, drug investigators discovered more than 178 kilos of cannabis herb, approximately 14 kilos of cannabis powder, ten liters of cannabis oil and more than 10,000 candies laced with cannabis oil. A variety of utensils for the production of THC-containing products were also seized: the “Gummy Bear Gang” had converted an apartment with a cannabis press, industrial air filter and centrifuges into a workshop for “hash cookies” & Co.
According to the spokesperson, the tools used to produce drugs were worth almost 100,000 euros. The police estimate the street value of the seized cannabis alone at more than two million euros.
Source: Krone
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