The seizure of 1.7 tonnes of high-risk drugs in recent days is an important success for the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Police's anti-drug units, acting Minister of the Interior Catalin Predoiu said on Tuesday.

He noted that combating drug trafficking has been a priority for the Ministry ever since he took over the portfolio.

'We have allocated significant resources to this fight. More than 200 police officers have been assigned to anti-drug units, we have set up specialised canine teams for drug detection, expanded the network of drug-analysis laboratories, and through the Anti-Drug Roadmap we have provided substantial funding to boost operational capacity. The Romanian Police's anti-drug structures have responded to this priority through hard work, strategic planning and hundreds of operations,' Predoiu said in a video posted on mai.gov.ro.

The minister's comments come as seven suspects were detained following Monday's raids against an organised criminal group that transported large quantities of drugs from Spain to several European countries, the Romanian Police said on Tuesday.

According to the police and the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the detainees - six men and one woman - are investigated for setting up an organised crime group, risk and high-risk drug trafficking in continued form, and money laundering. The detentions follow 16 searches carried out in Timisoara, Satu Mare, Oradea, Campulung Moldovenesc, and in Maramures and Mehedinti counties, as part of the so called Matrix operation.

During the raids, investigators seized documents, 54 gold and silver coins, a gold bar, a luxury watch, cash in lei, euros, dollars and forints, a shotgun, and multiple data-storage devices. Authorities also placed asset freezes on mobile and immovable property worth about €400,000 — including four buildings and one luxury car - as well as 27 bank accounts belonging to the suspects. Prosecutors have asked the Bucharest Tribunal to approve pre-trial detention for all seven.

Investigators say the group was formed in September 2023 by four men and an international transport company, operating as a pyramidal structure. Additional Romanian and foreign members later joined, along with four companies used as legal cover for drug shipments. The group specialised in moving hundreds of kilograms of cannabis resin, cannabis and cocaine from Spain to various European destinations using long-haul trucks with hidden compartments.

Ten more suspects - nine men and one woman - subsequently joined the network. Another woman, partner of one of the leaders, allegedly provided logistical support, the Press Office of the Romanian Police Inspectorate General informed (IGPR).

After receiving orders from Albanian drug traffickers, the Romanian-based leaders coordinated transport routes, arranged drivers and vehicles, and monitored shipments remotely. When foreign authorities intercepted loads, the leaders organised legal assistance for arrested drivers and sought access to case files to check whether evidence pointed to the group's leadership.

The case involved extensive judicial cooperation between 2023 and 2026, through European Investigation Orders with France, Spain, Italy and Germany, coordinated via EUROJUST, and police cooperation through EUROPOL.

The group's activity, documented by Romanian investigators, resulted in four drug shipments intercepted abroad: 114 kg of cocaine; 228.219 kg of cannabis; 1,376.913 kg of cannabis resin (hashish).

In total, authorities seized approximately 1,719 kg of drugs, valued at around €9.6 million wholesale and €25 million retail, based on EUDA market estimates, IGPR said.

The group offered Albanian trafficking networks a 'crime as a service' model, transporting high-risk drugs from entry points in Europe to destination countries.

In 2025, the Romanian leader of the group was listed by EUROPOL as a High Value Target, considered a major cross-border organised-crime threat.

Evidence shows the leader used an encrypted communication app favoured by drug traffickers; data obtained from French authorities via a European Investigation Order will be used as proof of his long-term ties to Albanian networks and persistent criminal activity, DIICOT said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Petronius Craiu, Mihai Stoica; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)

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