Czech Police arrest family gang for allegedly trafficking in heroin

Detectives have arrested three people in Brno on suspicion of selling heroin. An 18-year-old girl, her 40-year-old mother-in-law and her 54-year-old uncle are all being prosecuted. 

According to court records, the man allegedly delivered the drugs, storing them in his personal vehicle. The women allegedly took orders for the heroin by telephone and sold it.

Police spokesperson Andrea Straková said today that all three face up to five years in prison if convicted. Detectives are currently determining the volume of the sales.

Police believe young Romani people are among those who often use heroin. The investigation has revealed that the three suspected of trafficking in heroin in Brno have allegedly been making money at it for approximately two months.

"On the basis of our previous lessons learned, the detectives launched an extensive investigation and were successful. They managed to identify many drug purchasers from the same family as well," Straková said.  

Police officers arrested the women last Friday in the Židenice quarter of Brno. They found 18 so-called "notes" containing heroin, small paper envelopes in which the drug is sold, as well as more than CZK 3 000 on the suspects. 

One "note" of heroin contains roughly 0.1 grams of the drug. During a search of the apartment of the male suspect, detectives found only the paper used to produce the "notes" and his car keys.

"The surprise was not long in coming. In the car they discovered 800 'notes' containing the drug, ready for sale," Straková said.

The women allegedly charged CZK 100 per dose. Further investigation of the case should demonstrate the volume of sales for which the suspects are allegedly responsible and how much money they made.

Police officers say that in their experience, heroin is less used in Brno than pervitin (methamphetamine), which is easier to produce. Successful heroin confiscations are rare, but police annually destroy roughly 40 labs for methamphetamine production in the city.