The defendant, who is currently in pre-trial detention, is accused of running a drug-trafficking ring for the past 12 years. During a second meeting at a car garage in Esch in October 2020, the accused boasted to undercover officers about managing various teams of drug dealers. The policeman pretended to want to buy 8 kilograms of cocaine from him.
According to the defendant’s statement at the time, he would usually receive three to four kilos of cocaine a week, but the market had slowed down considerably due to the pandemic, and deliverymen from the Netherlands were hesitant to come to Luxembourg.
The accused was forced to tell his customers to go to the station instead until supply was stable. However, he revealed to the undercover investigator that he was still running a small business with marijuana, which he had delivered to him by post from Spain.
Despite the lack of transaction between the drug dealers and the undercover investigators, police raided various locations in southern Luxembourg on 11 November 2020, arresting 9 people that day and more in the following days. Among those arrested were the main accused and his right-hand man. The police also seized 1 kilogram of cocaine, 6 kilograms of marijuana, 4 kilograms of hashish, 4 properties, 17 cars, 55 mobile phones, and a significant amount of cash.
Further investigations revealed that out of the 105 potential customers police uncovered, 67 admitted to having received drugs at some point. The investigator was surprised to find that the majority of these customers were not known to the police. This suggested that the main defendant had chosen his clients carefully.
The investigator then revealed that the accused had been selling marijuana for 10 years, dealing with cocaine for 8 years, and hashish for 7 years.
In total, 20 people from two firms have been indicted in the ‘Bari Affair’, which revolves around organised import and trade of hard drugs, money laundering, and fraud.
Investigators had already shared more details about their operation on the third day of the trial.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
