European authorities have dismantled an international drug ring that hid contraband inside commercial freight and allegedly used grenade attacks and homicides to settle internal feuds.

Nearly 50 suspects have been detained following an international crackdown on a Western Balkan drug syndicate allegedly linked to murders, kidnappings, and grenade attacks across Europe, Europol announced on Thursday.

The multi-year investigation culminated on October 6, when police searched 42 properties across Slovenia and Spain. Law enforcement arrested 36 suspects on the action day—34 in Slovenia, one in Spain, and one in Croatia—adding to 11 members previously detained during the probe.

The syndicate comprised nationals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Türkiye, and the Netherlands. To move cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, MDMA, and methamphetamine from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain to destinations across Europe, the group allegedly hired drivers—chiefly from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bulgaria—to conceal illicit cargo within regular commercial shipments using trucks, vans, and cars.

To coordinate logistics, syndicate members relied on encrypted platforms, including SKY ECC and CryptCom. When shipments were lost or financial disputes erupted, the network allegedly turned to severe violence to maintain control and enforce discipline. Investigators tied the group to alleged shootings, homicides, an attempted murder in Spain, the abduction of a group member, and hand grenade strikes directed primarily at syndicate members and their relatives.

On the October 6 action day, officers seized 66 kilograms of narcotics—including 51 kilograms of cannabis and 15 kilograms of amphetamine—along with cash, jewelry, and firearms.

Europol clarified that these raids built upon years of prior evidence gathering: between February 2022 and September 2026, officers directly investigating this specific network had already physically intercepted 253 kilograms of cocaine, 404 kilograms of cannabis, 18.8 kilograms of methamphetamine, 825 grams of MDMA, and 550 liters of acetic anhydride, a chemical precursor used in drug manufacturing. Police had also confiscated ammunition, several handguns, and an automatic firearm fitted with a suppressor.

However, physical seizures accounted for only part of the syndicate's alleged traffic. By decrypting intercepted SKY ECC communications, investigators uncovered extensive additional operations. Prosecutors now expect to charge the suspects in connection with an unseized additional 2.5 metric tons of cannabis, 474 kilograms of cocaine, 104 kilograms of heroin, 30 kilograms of amphetamine, 11.6 kilograms of MDMA, 18,000 ecstasy tablets, and 1,000 units of psychoactive mushrooms.

occrp.org