Several tonnes of drugs seized at Zurich Airport in 2025

Drugs were smuggled in all sorts of containers. Keystone-SDA

Last year the Zurich cantonal police, together with customs officers, seized several tonnes of narcotics at Zurich Airport. Ninety-four people were arrested.

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The list of narcotics seized, published by the cantonal police on Friday, is long: 3.8 tonnes of marijuana, 200 kilograms of khat, 47 kilograms of cocaine, 26 kilograms of heroin, 162 kilograms of hashish, 30 kilograms of ketamine and over 12 kilograms of the plant-based hallucinogen ayahuasca.

Significantly more marijuana was seized last year (in 2024 the figure was almost 750 kilograms), while the amount of cocaine found fell (in 2024 it was 117 kilograms).

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A total of 37 drug couriers used Zurich Airport as a transit airport, while 57 others travelled to Switzerland via the airport, the police reported. The authorities arrested 94 suspected smugglers: 26 women and 68 men from 28 countries. The oldest arrested drug smuggler was 80 years old.

Adapted from German by AI/ts

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