Operation Korund: police seize drugs and equipment worth 330 million crowns
The National Drug Enforcement Bureau arrested drugs and equipment worth 330 million Czech crowns during a series of Korund operations. Three foreign nationals from an organised crime group have been charged.
Operation Korund: 36 lorries of seized goods, two illegal laboratories and three charged foreign nationals
Drugs, manufacturing equipment and raw materials with a total value of approximately 330 million crowns were seized by detectives during a series of operations called Korund, which focused primarily on synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids. According to Czech news sources citing Lucia Šmoldasová, a spokesperson for the National Drug Enforcement Bureau (NPC), police filled 36 lorries with seized products, raw materials and manufacturing equipment during the raids.
During operations in Prague, the Central Bohemian, Moravian-Silesian and Plzeň regions, investigators uncovered two illegal laboratories intended for research and development of new synthetic substances and an industrial facility for their manufacture. The equipment was used for mixing, spraying, drying and packaging technical hemp enriched with additional substances.
Scope of seized material
Police seized, among other things:
- 11 tonnes of hemp dry matter partially infused with synthetic cannabinoids
- over three tonnes of hemp plants
- 2.65 tonnes of hashish
- approximately one tonne of jelly sweets including an industrial production line
- approximately 120,000 original product packages
- hundreds of thousands of joints, thousands of electronic cigarettes and hundreds of vaporisers with refills
- 100 kilogrammes of hemp powder and a large-scale cultivation facility
- thousands of litres of chemicals
As proceeds of crime, police also seized property in the form of cash, cryptocurrency and precious metals worth approximately 60 million crowns.
Three charged foreign nationals, legal entities also prosecuted
Detectives arrested and charged three foreign nationals as members of an organised crime group. They face charges of drug manufacture, promoting drug abuse and money laundering. All are currently in custody; they face imprisonment and confiscation of seized property. Criminal prosecution has also been initiated against three legal entities.
According to police findings, the group placed technical hemp enriched with synthetic cannabinoids on the market through e-shops and brick-and-mortar stores. "These substances can adversely affect the psyche, cognitive and recognition abilities or social behaviour and endanger human life or health. The accused were distributing the products to foreign countries as well," said Šmoldasová.
Spillover into Poland, new substances among minors
Detectives referred one case to Polish authorities. A substantial portion of the criminal activity took place there according to their findings, with the modification of dried material through spraying with synthetic drugs occurring primarily in the Czech Republic.
Some of the results of Operation Korund were made public by the NPC in June. At that time, police announced the discovery of 22 new substances connected with serious intoxications of underage users. Withdrawal from sale or destruction was ordered for more than 11,000 products.
"Expert examinations are still ongoing and their results will affect the further course of criminal proceedings," the NPC spokesperson added.
Source: České noviny