Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Police bust drug trafficking ring in southern Switzerland

Major drug trafficking network dismantled in Sierre (VS)
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.

+ Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

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.

More

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”.

+ Switzerland, an unsuspected hub for international cocaine trafficking

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

External Content

Translated from French with DeepL/sb

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war

More

Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war

This content was published on According to former United States general Ben Hodges, the withdrawal of US troops from Europe is only a matter of time. In an interview with SonntagsBlick, he advises Switzerland to prepare for war.

Read more: Former US general advises Switzerland to prepare for war
Diccon Bewes

More

Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57

This content was published on The author of the bestseller Swiss Watching and former member of SWI swissinfo.ch's Public Council, Diccon Bewes, died on March 11 after a battle with cancer.

Read more: Swiss-British author Diccon Bewes dead at 57
Bernese anti-separatists celebrate the vote of 16 March 1975

More

Anti-separatists in Bernese Jura mark 50th anniversary of crucial vote

This content was published on Anti-separatist circles celebrated in Tramelan (BE) on Saturday the 50th anniversary of the vote of 16 March 1975 in which the population of the Bernese Jura chose to remain part of the Bernese Confederation. The theme of the jubilee was the identity of the Bernese Jura after Moutier's departure.

Read more: Anti-separatists in Bernese Jura mark 50th anniversary of crucial vote
237 Swiss companies with CO2 reduction targets

More

Over 200 Swiss firms sign up to CO2 reduction targets

This content was published on To date, 237 companies from Switzerland have joined the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), committing to CO2 reduction targets in line with the Paris Accord.

Read more: Over 200 Swiss firms sign up to CO2 reduction targets

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR