36 Kilograms of Drugs Found in Forests Near Riga; Five People Remanded in Custody

Latvian police are investigating the illegal trafficking of narcotics by an organised group in the Riga region. During an operation, six people were detained, and searches, including in forested areas, turned up roughly 36 kilograms of various drugs. A court has remanded five suspects in custody. Police say this is the first time such a large quantity of drugs hidden in a forest has been found in the Riga region.

Course of the investigation

Police opened the criminal case on 14 October. Through operational measures and special investigative actions, they identified eight people linked to the crime. In a large-scale operation on 21 October, six people were detained; three of them tried to flee but were caught. Two more Latvian citizens were already in prison for other offences when the crime was committed and used unauthorised means of communication to coordinate illegal activity.

In total, ten searches were carried out: six at residences, three in vehicles and one in a prison. Forested areas were also combed.

What was found

The haul included amphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, hashish, Subutex, Quetiapine Accord, clonazepam and MDMA tablets, plus 34 devices containing THC, the psychoactive substance of cannabis. Most of it was found in barrels buried in the ground in forests. Police have observed that dealers usually create smaller stashes that serve customers as pick-up points. Also seized were 17 mobile phones (three of them taken in prisons), a tablet computer and forged identity documents.

The detainees

The suspects were born in 1971, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2002 and 2003. Among those detained are four Lithuanian and two Latvian citizens. Two Lithuanians were wanted over offences committed in Lithuania, one of them internationally for a drug trafficking offence. One Latvian had been wanted since 28 August for sexual acts involving a person under 16 and for theft; he has been handed over to serve a sentence already imposed. The other had only this spring finished serving a sentence for a similar drug offence.

On 23 October, a court ordered custody for four Lithuanian citizens and one Latvian citizen. Police continue to establish all circumstances and to identify other possible participants.

The first public information about the case emerged when a video was posted on social media showing sounds resembling gunshots and several police cars. At the time, police only said that several people had been detained.