At the end of July, the program Degpunktā reported on a mysterious operation with a search conducted by the State Police on Citaru Street in Valdlauči. Residents were puzzled, as the detained men were known as calm and polite neighbors. However, it turned out that they had been engaged in quite large-scale and profitable drug trafficking for some time, reports TV3.
Residents of the Valdlauči area were surprised this summer by a search of an apartment on the first floor conducted by the State Police — two neighbors were detained.
“ I was sitting at my computer, and suddenly — an explosion. We didn’t even know what to think. Then we looked out the window and started shouting. Such a noise, the windows were broken. And the police were running around there,” recalls Leonard, who lives two floors above.
Four units from various law enforcement agencies participated in the operation. It was a serious action to detain, in the opinion of locals, quite peaceful and friendly guys. They were not noisy and often greeted people, but sometimes their behavior raised suspicions — for example, their apartment windows were constantly covered.
“People felt uncomfortable passing by. The windows were covered all the time — both day and night. No light, nothing. If they were taken so seriously, it means it wasn’t just like that. Nobody breaks down doors for pretty eyes. I saw that one side had a broken window, and the other side did too,” clarified a neighbor from the fifth floor.
Now the veil over the police's actions has been lifted — law enforcement conducted a lengthy investigation, searches at several addresses, and now report that both men living in the apartment were involved in serious drug business.
“Five searches were conducted, a large quantity of narcotic substances was seized, as well as various other items. More than 12 kilograms of amphetamine, 140 grams of cocaine, 5705 grams of marijuana, three cookies containing marijuana, cash amounting to 2510 euros, a BMW car, items resembling firearms and ammunition were seized,” said State Police representative Liga Dziļuma.
According to the police, both accomplices face different penalties, as each had their own role in the criminal scheme. The 31-year-old man is unlikely to face imprisonment, however, his 24-year-old business partner will likely have to go to jail.
“A criminal process has been initiated under part 3 of Article 253 of the Criminal Law, which provides for imprisonment for a term of five to 15 years with or without confiscation of property and with probation supervision for up to three years,” explained the police representative.
How long these seemingly respectable neighbors hid their business from residents and passersby, the police have not yet disclosed — the investigation is still ongoing.
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