Drug gang from Brzeska dismantled – eight arrested in Praga-Północ
Warsaw police arrested eight people suspected of drug trafficking in Praga-Północ and Żoliborz. They face up to 12 years in prison.
Police dismantle dealer group in the heart of Praga-Północ
According to raportwarszawski.pl, Warsaw police conducted a large-scale operation against drug dealers in the Praga-Północ and Żoliborz districts. Eight people were arrested – two women aged 24 and 48, and six men aged between 23 and 48.
The operation was coordinated by the Narcotics Crime Department of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters at the request of the Warsaw Praga District Prosecutor's Office. Officers entered several flats simultaneously in the area of Brzeska, Ząbkowska, Mała and Inżynierska streets. Officers from Warsaw Police Units VI and VII and the Independent Counter-Terrorism Unit of the Police in Warsaw provided support.
In the secured premises – including a drug warehouse set up in a flat in Żoliborz – police officers found heroin, marijuana, cocaine and methadone. This information was provided by Edyta Adamus from the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters press office.
During searches, officers also secured electronic scales, heat sealers, mobile phones and notes indicating ongoing trade. Cash was also found, which will be allocated towards future fines.
The Warsaw Praga District Prosecutor's Office charged all those arrested with participation in an organised criminal group and putting significant quantities of narcotic and psychotropic substances into circulation, from which they had made a permanent source of income. These crimes carry a sentence of up to 12 years imprisonment.
The court applied pre-trial detention to five people, including the 24-year-old woman and four men. The remaining three people were placed under police supervision.
"An open secret" in Praga
Residents of Praga-Północ have for years reported that drug trafficking takes place on open streets – on Brzeska, Wileńska and Inżynierska streets. Councillor Krzysztof Michalski has no doubt that the problem is visible to the naked eye.
— Of course you can see this trafficking every day. These are usually young men who stand hooded in doorways, looking around. Walking along Wileńska, Inżynierska or Brzeska you can easily identify dealers. However, you also have to remember that trade does not only take place in those proverbial doorways, but drugs are also distributed in educational facilities, including by minors — Michalski said.
The councillor also explained why effective arrests are more difficult than it might seem.
— Drug trafficking in Praga is an open secret. There are drug-dealing hotbeds here, now also on Środkowa Street. However, to arrest someone with goods, you need to be 100 per cent certain, and the police are not in a position to patrol all the streets. Dealers are not stupid people either and do not stand around with goods in their pockets — Michalski added.
Source: Google News PL — Crime (pl)