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Romania and Moldova dismantle major organized crime networks
Romanian and Moldovan authorities have dismantled a major organized crime network involved in the illegal trade of approximately 70 million cigarettes. The group utilized temperature-controlled trucks to hide contraband within shipments of fruits and vegetables, such as onions, to bypass inspections. The operation, supported by Europol and Eurojust, involved extensive searches across multiple Romanian counties, including Giurgiu, Teleorman, Neamt, Bacau, Vaslui, Botosani, Iasi, and Bucharest, resulting in the detention of six individuals.
In a separate international investigation, prosecutors have brought two Moldovan citizens to trial as part of a large-scale drug trafficking ring. This network, which operated across several European countries including Romania, Czechia, Hungary, and Bulgaria, was responsible for producing and transporting significant quantities of narcotics, including methamphetamine. Authorities previously seized five kilograms of methamphetamine and large amounts of chemical precursors during raids in Moldova.
Additionally, law enforcement in Hunedoara disrupted an illegal drug ring operating during Amazonian-themed spiritual rituals. Participants paid hundreds of euros to consume high-risk hallucinogenic substances, such as Ayahuasca and San Pedro, at a local pension. Police seized over six liters of liquid substances containing DMT during the investigation.
Entities
Bacău · Bacău Police · Bihor · Botești · Clotilde Armand · Criuleni · DIICOT · Eurojust · Europol · Faraoani · ISU Neamț · Judecătoria Sectorului 1
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] PCCOCS prosecutors have indicted the first two Moldovan citizens involved in an international drug trafficking network. ziar.md · news.yam.md
- [● 2 SOURCES] A total of 16 people were detained across Moldova, Czechia, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria during the operation. ziar.md · news.yam.md
- [● 2 SOURCES] A 51-year-old Moldovan man was involved in producing drugs at one of two clandestine laboratories found in Moldova. ziar.md · news.yam.md
- [● 2 SOURCES] Authorities confiscated five kilograms of methamphetamine in the Republic of Moldova alone. ziar.md · news.yam.md
- [● 2 SOURCES] A 36-year-old Moldovan man is accused of being responsible for transporting the drugs. ziar.md · news.yam.md