Police bust drug trafficking ring in southern Switzerland

Valais police arrested 30 people in the Sierre region, including minors, linked to the drug trafficking ring. Keystone-SDA

Valais cantonal police have broken up a major drug trafficking ring in the Sierre region in southern Switzerland. Thirty people, including minors, have been arrested.

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The police said 500 kilogrammes of cannabis and 2 kg of cocaine had been sold over a three-year period.

“These volumes, unprecedented in Valais for cannabis products, generated street sales of more than CHF4 million for hashish and more than CHF175,000 for cocaine,” the Office of the Attorney General of canton Valais said in a press release.

According to the investigation, which began in spring 2023, the drug ring obtained most of its supplies from French-speaking Switzerland. It was organised in a pyramid-like structure and employed minors as “carriers, dealers or lookouts”.

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The police investigation highlighted a rising number of violent acts linked to the drug dealing, particularly for debt collection.

Translated from French with DeepL/sb

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