For several days, local residents had noticed active interest of the police and special services in a building near Alūksne.
On Friday, many people in white suits and gas masks could be seen in a warehouse area in Ziemeri municipality. Plastic barrels were being taken from the basement outside the building. They were probably filled with chemicals, as evidenced by the pungent smell. The State Police confirm that this was one of the most ambitious operations ever.
"This is about combating criminal activities of an international organized group on the territory of Latvia. We are talking about the drug mafia. At the moment I can confirm that several persons have been detained," Armands Ruks, Chief of the State Police, confirmed to Latvian Television.
"We are talking about synthetic drugs, I will refrain from talking about the specific name of the substance at the moment. It is one of the biggest [drug] seizures in recent years. We are talking here about a very large quantity. We are talking about more than a tonne. We are still counting it all now, and the forensic tests are still to come."
Equipment for the production of substances was also seized.
Criminal proceedings took place simultaneously in several Latvian cities, Ruks said. According to the State Police, the detainees also include persons who are not Latvian citizen. This has been a long-lasting operation, which Europol has also supported.
On Saturday, Latvian Television met an employee at a nearby wood-processing plant who had been on duty on Wednesday, the day the police arrived. The man noticed drones flying and quadricycles driving around the area in the evening. He went to find out why there was such a sudden interest in the building. The people replied that there was a special police operation.
"I say, 'OK, thank you, see you later', and go back. I was escorted to the end of the shed with a machine gun, with a laser. Well, if U were running, they'd think it was one of them. There were already four of them lined up against the wall," said Ilgvars, an employee of "Verners un draugi" Ltd.
Local residents had not noticed any activity in the building until now. Previously, the building, which covers an area of approximately 1000 square meters, produced humus from earthworms. But last year the property was sold, said Verners Kalējs, owner of Verners un draugi Ltd:
"Everything was open here, all the doors were open, everything was open, nobody was here. And then we noticed that there was some movement. There was something... I don't know what they had brought... Some furniture... And the most important thing was that boarded up all the windows from the inside. So that you couldn't see anything from the outside."
The Chief of the State Police stressed that the residents had no reason to worry.
"We understand the interest and concern of both local residents and the media, but if we want the police to be successful in combating organized drug trafficking, no further information can be given during an active operation, when searches and other procedural actions are still taking place."
