The Central Directorate for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking successfully dismantled a transnational criminal network involved in smuggling psychotropic substances last weekend.
According to a statement from the Directorate, the operation was the result of close coordination between border police and customs officials. It thwarted a plot to smuggle a shipment of 85,156 psychotropic pills, specifically “Rivotril,” into Algeria.
The statement detailed that the 13-kilogram stash of psychotropic drugs was cleverly hidden inside the internal parts of household appliances carried by a passenger arriving on an international flight.
The operation led to the arrest of six individuals and the seizure of 85,156 Rivotril pills, along with five vehicles and a sum of money in both local and foreign currencies.
Further investigations, supervised by the competent public prosecutor, resulted in the arrest of additional suspects from the criminal network, aged between 27 and 41, across the regions of Algiers, Tizi Ouzou, and Boumerdes.
The suspects were presented before the public prosecutor at the specialized court in Sidi M’Hamed, Algiers. They face charges including illegal importation, transportation, storage, and sale of narcotics as part of an organized international criminal group, posing significant threats to public health and security.
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Author: Nor-Eleslam
