Drug Smuggler Sentenced to 6.5 Years in Prison for Trafficking 658 Kilograms of Heroin from Iran to Germany
A German court has sentenced a drug smuggler to 6.5 years in prison. According to German customs, this was the largest drug trafficking case, involving 658 kilograms of heroin. Officials stated that the drugs originated from Iran.
In a trial held in Frankfurt (Oder) in eastern Germany, a 65-year-old male smuggler was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison.
The court established that the smuggler transported 658 kilograms of heroin from Kyrgyzstan to Germany by truck at the beginning of 2019.
In the indictment, prosecutors demanded 10 years imprisonment for the smuggler.
The heroin was packaged under the cover of Turkish candy products.
It is said that the shipment, worth several million dollars, is a product of Iran but was packaged in Kyrgyzstan. The shipment was intended to reach the Netherlands via Poland and Germany, where it would be offered for sale in that country.
Dutch inspectors had been monitoring the activities of the drug smuggling gang for some time by tracking the vehicle’s route.
According to a court spokesperson, in 2019, German customs was informed about the drug shipment after receiving information from international police.
German officials stopped the vehicle on Highway 12 in the state of Brandenburg and seized the heroin shipment. They say this is the largest drug shipment ever discovered in Germany to date.
The trial in Frankfurt (Oder) began on December 16, 2019, and was halted several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The court ruling is not yet final.
Source: DW
