Heroin trafficking network in Sector 5 dismantled by DIICOT: 12 detained, 972 doses seized
DIICOT dismantled a group of 12 people who were selling heroin in Sector 5 of Bucharest. Investigators confiscated 972 doses and approximately 20,000 lei.
Family-based heroin trafficking group shut down in Sector 5 of the Capital
Prosecutors from DIICOT and the Organised Crime Fighting Brigade Bucharest dismantled, on Wednesday, a high-risk drug trafficking network operating in Sector 5 of Bucharest municipality, according to Jurnalul.ro. The group consisted of 12 people — nine men and three women, aged between 32 and 57 — being investigated for high-risk drug trafficking in continuing form. Four of them are being investigated further for forming an organised criminal group.
According to investigators, the group operated in a coordinated manner from the beginning of 2026, organising several satellite cells that functioned as heroin distribution points. The network operated both wholesale, with deliveries to other dealers, and in individual doses, directly to street consumers.
Led by a 57-year-old woman, structured on family lines
The group was structured along family relationships, with a 57-year-old woman playing the central role. She allegedly took on the responsibility of procuring heroin and overseeing the activity of the "sellers", alongside other members.
The criminal mechanism was divided into distinct roles: each participant was aware of the actions of the others, precisely to avoid interference and reduce the risk of identification. Actual sales to consumers were delegated to third parties, who acted as intermediaries, maintaining distance from the group's core.
The neighbourhood exploited strategically for distribution
Investigators established that members of the network deliberately exploited the urban characteristics of the neighbourhood in Sector 5 — the density of buildings and the structure of access routes. Some participants had the role of "guide", directing buyers towards the sales points, while others acted as "sentries", monitoring the distribution areas and signalling the presence of authorities.
Heroin could be consumed inside the distribution points themselves, which reduced the need for consumers to travel with the substance on their persons and limited the visibility of the criminal activity outside. Customers could be transferred between sellers, increasing the operational flexibility of the network.
What investigators found in 34 raids
On Wednesday, following 34 raids carried out in Sector 5, authorities seized:
- 972 heroin doses, prepared for sale;
- approximately 300 grams of heroin in unprepared form;
- various quantities of plant material, powder and tablets, undergoing forensic examination;
- 111 methadone tablets;
- approximately 500 unused syringes and another 50 already used;
- 4 air guns;
- a sum of approximately 20,000 lei, as well as other items of evidence.
Detention and proposal for preventive arrest
On Wednesday and Thursday, DIICOT prosecutors ordered the detention of all 12 people being investigated. On Thursday, the judge for rights and freedoms at Bucharest Court was seized with a proposal for 30 days of preventive arrest.
Source: Jurnalul.ro